Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: New Leaf
AUTHOR: Andrew Grey
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 177 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 14, 2021
BLURB:
When Dex Grippon’s mother dies, he takes it as a sign—it’s time to give up acting and return to his hometown. If he can find a way to save his mother’s bookstore, he can preserve the one link he still has to his parents. But keeping an independent bookstore afloat turns out to be more difficult than he anticipated, and Dex isn’t the only one who wonders what else his mom might have been selling.
Former cop Les Gable might be off the job, but he has to know what was going on at the bookstore, and he’ll do anything to satisfy his curiosity—including befriend the new owner with an offer to help sort out his new business. Something about the bookstore doesn’t smell right, and Les is going to find out what.
The problem is that his curiosity about Dex soon far outstrips his interest in what happened at the store. But as curiosity matures into love, the store’s past threatens their future. Can Les and Dex untangle the mystery of the bookshop and escape with their relationship—and their lives—intact, or will the whole thing go up in smoke?
REVIEW:
Dex returned to his hometown, with loss in his heart, over the sudden death of his mother. His Hollywood dreams were on the rocks, but he was given a second chance at a career when he discovered that he’d been left his mother’s book shop. She was loved by many, but he couldn’t fathom how she made a profit. Injured ex-cop, Les, was convinced that something illegal was happening in the shop, but was friends with the then owner, Sarah, so he pushed his theories to one side. Upon investigating, he gets closer to her movie star son, Dex, and something neither man expected, developed.
New Leaf is a story told in the third person from the viewpoints of Dex and Les. Technically, it is in good order. Alongside a small cast, the worldbuilding reflects a town where most folks know one another and local dining.
The opening chapters have death in the air, so they are a subdued pace that captures the numbness and upset of loss. The brightness comes with memories of how delightfully kooky Dex’s mother was. Dex and Les have a lot of baggage – Dex’s Hollywood rejections and Les’s accident that ended his law enforcement career. Reading how the two help each other was sweet.
However, the story almost has a generic feel about it. E.g., boy meets boy, a bit of a mystery, emotional baggage, one OTT friend with a calming partner. I’m not saying these stories aren’t entertaining, but in one form or another, it’s been written before, adding an air of predictability, so I think it’s a case of preference for the author.
For the majority, the story is like going for a walk in your favorite park. Perfectly acceptable and a pleasant excursion allowing for reflection and figuring out a way forward with life. There were some amusing turns, but other than one incident, my heart rate didn’t change.
Personally, I found New Leaf to be more of a cathartic read than a drama-based journey. It was perfect for one of those Sundays, sat next to a millpond where the action is that of a few wayward ducks creating ripples.
RATING: 
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