The Love List: a woman takes charge of her life by doing what she loves. Is falling love be a part of the plan?

The Love List is the first book in the Hilton Head Island series by Elana Johnson. Beatrice “Bea” Callahan loves lists. She loves when she creates to-do lists and the satisfaction she gets when she can check each item off. So when she gets the finalized divorce papers, she is ready with a list to live the life she wants. Bea doesn’t call it a bucket list, it’s a love list. She loves the outdoors, so she plans to visit ten National Parks. She loves animals, so she will get a puppy. She loves the beach and wants to take a dream vacation. After the insistence of her beloved friends, she heads to Hilton Head Island. There she meets Grant Turner, the man who owns her rented house. He soon becomes her tour guide, a friend and then something more. Can she add falling in love to her list? 

This story opened with Bea eagerly waiting for her divorce papers and when she does, she wastes no time and consults no one as she starts down her list. It is supposed to be Bea and Grant’s romance story; however, I did not like chapters featuring her friends more and discussing their troubles. I understand that the author is trying to establish interest in the future books in the series but it was a turn off for me. I also disliked that all the couples are divorced, troubled marriages or newly separated. While all marriages have issues; but can one marriage be relatively a happy one? Overall, I did not enjoy The Love List and will not be continuing the series. However, if you are a fan of Elana Johnson, you may enjoy The Love List and I encourage you to give it a try. 

The Love List is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook