The Art of Loving You

Bishop sparkles in this lively and touching contemporary, the second in her Forever Falling series (after Only for the Week). Runway model–turned–content creator Dani Jenkins and artist Micah Wright came close to acting on their mutual attraction 11 years before the start of the book, but life got in the way. Now the pair are reunited, first at a friend’s wedding and then by the death of their shared mentor, Tanya Holden. Tanya has left behind instructions for the pair, writing in her will that there are “some places you’ll need to go, people you’ll need to meet, and things you’ll need to get” in order to throw a gala in her memory, where they are to auction off her belongings alongside an original artwork she instructs them to create together. As this scavenger hunt takes Dani and Micah across the U.S., each stop on the path Tanya has mapped out brings them closer together. From South Carolina to Chicago to Colorado, the pair learn unexpected truths about their mentor and themselves. Tanya’s fiercely protective and incredibly giving spirit pervades the novel as she works from beyond the grave to ensure that these two deeply compatible people don’t mess up their chance at a happy ending. It’s a skillfully plotted and empathetically rendered ode to second chances. (Apr.)