Dear Henry, Love Edith

I loved reading Dear Henry, Love Edith, a small town romantic comedy novel from debut author Becca Kinzer. When I first saw the title, I thought the book was a historical romance. Once I started reading, I found the mistaken identity trope LOL hilarious, especially because I’d made the same initial wrong assumptions as the main characters.

Henry has taken over the family painting and construction business and is struggling to live up to family expectations. He lives in a small town in Illinois, and his niece has promised a friend that she’ll provide accommodation in her home over the summer for a lady named Edith.

Edith is a nurse, and she’s filling in time in Illinois doing overnight volunteering at a women’s shelter while waiting for her passport to arrive. Edith’s grand plan is to follow God’s calling and embark on an overseas adventure by doing volunteer work in South Africa.

Henry’s niece’s kitchen unexpectedly floods, and she talks Henry into letting Edith stay in his home until the kitchen problem is fixed. When Henry learns Edith is a widow who’s temporarily in town doing volunteer work, he assumes Edith is a senior. Edith assumes that Uncle Henry must be a generation older than his niece, and Edith appreciates the opportunity to stay in his home.

Henry and Edith’s first meeting, as strangers in the town diner, is LOL hilarious. They’re drawn to each other, but they have no idea that they’re living in the same house because they’re like ships passing in the night.…