The Secret of Rainy Days

Leslie Hooten’s latest novel, The Secret of Rainy Days, begins with Nina Enloe, known to her family as “Little Bit,” returning to Erob, Alabama after the death of her grandmother and namesake Nina “Biggie” Enloe. Biggie has always been a large and controlling force in Little Bit’s life, but the younger Enloe has tried to separate herself from her grandmother’s wishes until now. But even after death, Biggie still has a claim on Nina’s life that she can’t shake.

The novel moves back and forth in time to show Nina’s past and her friendships with Avery and Win, two girls who couldn’t be more different. Between the two of them, Nina has all the support she needs to navigate the return to Erob—the word “bore” spelled backwards—where she reconnects with an old flame and must decide if the life she ran is really as bad as she always let herself believe, or if maybe it holds the secret to her happiness.

There are several heavy-handed elements in the book, including the name of Erob, but the novel is a mostly a sweet meditation on letting ourselves find happiness. It’s a bit saccharine, and most of the major turns are easy to see coming, but if you love Hallmark movies, you’ll love it.