A young widow embraces a life-changing new start on San Juan Island in a joyful and redemptive novel about closure, self-discovery, chosen family, and the courage it takes to live truthfully.
Newly widowed Shelby Wright has left the Portland suburbs for a new life on Washington’s San Juan Island to fulfill her late husband’s dying wish. Running the shuttered Captain Merrick Inn, where they’d honeymooned twenty years before, is also a chance for Shelby to prove she can go it solo. Miles from home and her young adult son, Shelby is ready to finally acknowledge to herself that she is gay. But becoming the person she’s hidden away for so long isn’t going to be easy.
As Shelby renovates and rebrands the inn, she meets charismatic winemaker Holly Caster. Their fast connection challenges Shelby to confront her emerging identity and lingering attachment not only to her husband, whom she loved, but to the best friend she left behind. When Shelby is welcomed by a supportive group of local queer women dubbed “the San Juan Sisters,” she’s on her way to making a professional venture—and a long-awaited personal quest—come true.
Both she and the inn may be in need of a little TLC, but Shelby is about to find love and purpose in the most unexpected places.
About the Author :
Amy Hagstrom is the author of The Wild Between Us and Smoke Season. She is a writer and editor with two decades of experience in the travel and outdoor industry. Amy has been recognized as an O Magazine Insider and was a columnist and feature writer at Travel Oregon, US News & World Report, and HuffPost. She holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Whitworth University. A lifelong outdoors enthusiast, she served as a volunteer EMT with her local county search and rescue unit before launching her travel writing career.
After raising three children in the Pacific Northwest, Amy traded the Cascade, Siskiyou, and Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges for the Berkshires, making her home in western Massachusetts with her wife. Visit her at https://amyhagstrom.com.
Review :
“In this atmospheric and propulsive read, Amy Hagstrom masterfully ratchets up the tension not only with bad guys—of both the human and natural kind—but with complex relationships that will keep you feverishly turning pages. Perfect for anyone craving another disaster thrill ride after Twisters, Smoke Season is a must-read!” —Brianna Labuskes, bestselling author of The Lies You Wrote
“The Wild Between Us shows how a suspense novel should be written. The tension ramps up with every scene, starting with the callout through to the shocking resolution. With the authentic description of the search and rescue mission, and the beautifully realized characters and scenery, Amy Hagstrom has created a story that all readers of suspense will relish, an achievement all the more remarkable given it’s by a debut author.” —Authorlink
“The Wild Between Us is an unputdownable novel full of heart-stopping suspense and emotions. I couldn’t read fast enough and was blown away by this stellar debut.” —Lyn Liao Butler, Amazon bestselling author of Someone Else’s Life
“The Wild Between Us is a taut, engrossing story about searching for lost people and lost love…Part thriller and part tender love story, this novel will find resonance with a wide array of readers.” —Nicole Baart, bestselling author of Everything We Didn’t Say and The Long Way Back
“Revolving between two search and rescue missions fifteen years apart in the Marble Lake wilderness, like two points of gravitational pull, The Wild Between Us explores the depths of guilt, secrets, and the unbearable weight of time in the face of tragedy. This immersive thriller had me riveted from the first page. Do not miss Amy Hagstrom’s exceptional debut!” —Mindy Mejia, bestselling author of Everything You Want Me to Be and To Catch a Storm
“Prepare yourself for Smoke Season, where Amy Hagstrom expertly guides you on a white-knuckle ride into the heart of an epic Oregon wildfire. Impossible choices flare up with every turn of the page as Hagstrom forces you to consider how far you’d go to help the ones you love. Consider this your Level 3 warning…GO NOW to get this book!” —Tony Wirt, bestselling author of Just Stay Away
“Poignant and beautifully introspective, Now That I Know You By Heart is a bildungsroman about guilt, coming out later in adulthood, and how it’s never too late to let go and be true. Hagstrom’s verdant descriptions and attention to the quieter, more tender moments of courtship truly bring Shelby, Holly, and the Captain Merrick Inn to vivid, unrestrained life.” —Tara Tai, author of Single Player
