Even though Ms. Myra Malone, proprietor of said minuscule mansion would quickly and firmly remind me that her tiny house is not a dollhouse, it’s hard to see this title and not think back to the short-lived but intense infatuation I had with the Barbie Dreamhouse as a kid. I didn’t have one of my own, but, good gravy, did I ever get excited whenever I scored a playdate with a friend who did. 

Of course, my Barbie phase didn’t last long, but I never stopped daydreaming about owning and decorating a house of my own. I had an entire scrapbook of torn-out magazine pages that laid out all the rooms of my future “dream house.”

Were there expensive leather sofas, designer rugs, and gigantic pieces of modern art I could never afford in those torn-out pages? Of course, but I’ve never been one for practical dreams, especially if I never have to share them with anyone. There’s no doubt in my mind that if I’d had a minuscule mansion of my own to decorate and redecorate, I’d have gone all in, just like Myra. 

But while her creative outlet immediately made her interesting to read, it was far from the only thing that made our aforementioned purveyor of tiny things so memorable. Often when I am searching for a book to feature in a box, I’m looking for a reason to connect to the main character. I’m looking for writing that pulls me in so close that I feel what she feels, see the world through her eyes. This book did that and made it impossible for me not to empathize with Myra. Like many of us, she’s been traumatized by events from her past and instead of working to resolve them, she adapts her life so she can keep on keeping on. In this case, she learns to make her world smaller (pun intented!), keeping to the confines of her house and interacting with just a handful of people who she deems as safe.

Only problem? It’s kind of hard to find love in that kind of isolation. But Fate and her cousin Magic, hopeless romantic that they are, step in and connect two people who would never otherwise have crossed paths and plays their heartstrings in the best possible way.

For me, this book checked so many boxes:

• Slow burn attraction? Check
• Dual timeline and dual POVs? Check.
• Big romantic gesture? Check.
• Girl who almost lets her past keep her from the perfect guy before finally learning to love herself enough to take a chance? Checkity-check-check.

If you’re a fan of Heather Webber, Amy E. Reichert, or Rachel Linden, you’ll love this book. It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s heartfelt, and of course, it’s got just enough magic to make you wish for your own minuscule mansion.  

So, like every book I’ve featured in a box, this gets a full, must-read five stars from me.