review: changing lanes by kathleen long

Bad news is said to come in threes and that proves true for Abby Halladay. As she arrives in her hometown, she finds out her editor is canceling her newspaper column, her newly purchased house has termites, and her fiancé has left the country because he’s “bored.” As Abby spends the next month living with her parents and younger siblings while trying to straighten out her life, she comes to realize through viewing old photographs that it’s “the heart of the shot” that matters most.

Changing Lanes is a cute story that relies on a few romance novel tropes (the troubled boy next door/high school crush plays heavily here) which causes it to be a bit predictable although still enjoyable. The town residents weren’t well-developed (I never could figure out what Mona’s deal was supposed to be), but the family dynamic, which was more important, was. And while there are sad moments, Changing Lanes is ultimately uplifting.
4/5
Review copy provided by the author’s publicist.