When her husband’s tragic death uncovers long-buried secrets, a young mother fights to protect her family and heal her heart in an emotionally resonant novel about loss, love, and second chances.
After her husband’s sudden death, Beatrice Bell retreats to her childhood home in California’s Sierra mountains with her rebellious teenage twins in tow. Her plan is to take over her parents’ antique store, ensure it survives another generation, and build a new life from the rubble of the old one.
But Bea didn’t plan on Simon, the gruff store manager with his own ambitions for the business. As they’re forced to work together, animosity gives way to grudging respect and ignites an unexpected spark. Before Bea can find her footing, everything is upended. First by River, a local boy who bears a striking resemblance to her late husband. Then by her estranged mother-in-law, who reveals devastating secrets that will test everything Bea believed about her marriage.
As Bea navigates grief, betrayal, and an unexpected connection with Simon, she finds that it may be possible to begin again, but only if she confronts the truth of her past.
Order Now
Praise for The Other Side of Starting Over
“The Other Side of Starting Over is a beautiful, nuanced story of how the people we’ve loved—and the people we’ve been—can haunt us. Williams doesn’t shy away from complexity, giving her characters room to be realistically and endearingly messy as they relearn joy in the midst of intense grief. This book is a resonant reminder that while we can’t change the hand we’ve been dealt or outrun our old lives, we can give our past a safe space to live on inside of us, and find comfort in the love of people whose baggage fits right beside ours.” -Ellen O'Clover, author of The Heartbreak Hotel
“Tender, incisive, and endlessly emotional, The Other Side of Starting Over should come with a warning: may change your life. With expansive, lush prose and pulse-pounding twists and turns, this book explores something vulnerable and deeply universal. How do we let the biggest pieces of our hearts exist outside our bodies, and how do we learn to trust again if the unthinkable happens? Mara Williams is an auto-buy, drop-everything-to-read author for me, and this story about family, grief, and a second chance at love is nothing short of spectacular.” - Isabelle Engel, author of Most Eligible
“The Other Side of Starting Over is one of the most emotionally resonant books I've ever read. Mara Williams has the rare ability to make me ache and smile on the same page—and often in the same sentence. Her skill is on full display in this moving, tender, and utterly inspiring book, where grief, joy, and chemistry are so fully intertwined that they stop feeling separate at all. Mara Williams is truly in a league of her own.” -Ann Adams, author of Racing Hearts
A moving story about family, forgiveness, and unexpected love—where the fault lines of a fractured past become the foundation for building something new.
Eden Hawthorne spent idyllic childhood summers in Grand Trees, a mountain town perched along a restless earthquake fault in the heart of California’s fire country. But her family and future were shattered there, and she vowed never to return—until news of her estranged mother’s illness forces her back twenty years later.
Still reeling from her recent divorce, Eden has to confront her mom’s found family, including single father Caleb Connell, who blames Eden for the seismic rift that drove her away. But as they move beyond a battle of wills, Eden and Caleb discover shared wounds and intertwined histories—and succumb to an attraction that feels fated.
When her mother’s condition worsens, Eden faces an impossible choice between the man she’s falling for and the mother she’s just beginning to forgive. And with time running out, Eden fears her decision will doom her to relive the aftershocks of past heartbreak.
Order Now
Praise for The Epicenter of Forever
“With a thoughtful portrayal of fractured family dynamics and beautiful examples of how to heal — all set amidst a budding yet soul-deep romance I could not get enough of — Mara Williams has to be on your radar.” - Clare Gilmore, USA Today bestselling author of Never Over
“Insightfully written and emotionally rewarding, I devoured every page." - Emma Barry, author of Bad Reputation
“Atmospheric and romantic, The Epicenter of Forever is a heart-swelling book about going back to your roots to make way for a hopeful future.” - London Sperry, author of Passion Project
"Poignant, heart-wrenching, and filled with steamy tension, The Epicenter of Forever is a lyrical, evocative portrait of reconnection, rewriting memories, and risk-taking beyond the narratives we and our families have set for ourselves." - Katie Naymon, author of You Between the Lines
“With the perfect mix of dreamy romance and affirming self-discovery, The Epicenter of Forever is the kind of novel that cracks your heart wide open and leaves your emotions trembling long after the last page.” - Lauren Parvizi, author of Trust Me On This
“Williams weaves her signature wit and lush prose through a California landscape filled with big trees, bigger feelings, and love that shakes the world.” - Isabelle Engel, Author of Most Eligible
"Swoony, tender, and addictively steamy, Mara Williams's The Epicenter of Forever provides a beautiful exploration of the way love in all its forms can heal past hurts that had me desperately turning the pages while praying it would never end." - Amy Buchanan, author of Let's Call a Truce
