Book ~ "Falling" (2016) Jane Green

From Goodreads ~ When Emma Montague left the strict confines of upper-crust British life for New York, she felt sure it would make her happy. Away from her parents and expectations, she felt liberated, throwing herself into Manhattan life replete with a high-paying job, a gorgeous apartment and a string of successful boyfriends. But the cutthroat world of finance and relentless pursuit of more began to take its toll. This wasn’t the life she wanted either.

On the move again, Emma settles in the picturesque waterfront town of Westport, Connecticut, a world apart from both England and Manhattan. It is here that she begins to confront what it is she really wants from her life. With no job and knowing only one person in town, she channels her passion for creating beautiful spaces into remaking the dilapidated cottage she rents from Dominic, a local handyman who lives next door with his six-year-old son.

Unlike any man Emma has ever known, Dominic is confident, grounded and committed to being present for his son whose mother fled shortly after he was born. They become friends and slowly much more, as Emma finds herself feeling at home in a way she never has before.

But just as they start to imagine a life together as a family, fate intervenes in the most shocking of ways. For the first time, Emma has to stay and fight for what she loves, for the truth she has discovered about herself, or risk losing it all.

Emma is in her mid-thirties.  She is originally from England but moved to New York about five years ago to get away from her upper class family's expectations of her ... to work until she got married, raise a family and then live the life of wealthy businessman's wife.  She was successful as a banker but took advantage of getting a package to change her life.  She moves to a beach town in Connecticut to figure out what to do.  She rents a rundown house from Dominic, a single father of a six-year-old son, Jesse, who lives next door.  Emma and Dominic become friends and eventually start dating and fall in love.

This is the fourth book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on Emma.  I liked the writing style and thought it moved at a good pace.  There were lots of twists and dramas thrown in.  I liked the story line until towards the end when it took a turn which I didn't think was necessary.  As a head's up, there is some swearing.

For the most part, I liked Emma, Dominic and Jesse.  I found it inconsistent that Emma had been a confident successful banker and had no issues kicking men to curb yet was so unconfident at times where Dominic was concerned and jumped to conclusions about what was happening without talking to him first.  Also, she went on and on about not wanting the lifestyle her parents has expected of her yet she started to doubt whether she and Dominic had a future because they were so different.  Their parents were too extreme.  I thought Emma's mother was too snooty and old-fashioned, especially in today's day, considering her background.  I don't know why Dominic would allow his parents' abusive behavior in front of his son.