Where We Began: A Novel

By Lucy Rose Hartwell

After her mother's death, Emma Calloway returns to the small Blue Ridge mountain town she left thirteen years ago with one plan: clear out the family home, sell it, and return to the successful life she built in Charlotte.

What she does not expect is Miles Arden.

Once her childhood best friend and the first man she ever loved, Miles is living next door again. Years ago, he asked Emma to stay, and she chose to leave. Now, as they sort through old memories and fall back into an easy familiarity, Emma discovers a forgotten family ledger containing something her mother never told her: she understood Emma and Miles's unfinished love story far better than either of them realized.

But a second chance at love does not mean undoing the lives they built apart. Emma must decide whether coming home means going backward, or whether love, ambition, and belonging can finally exist in the same future.

Where We Began is a heartfelt, clean contemporary romance filled with childhood friends, second chances, small-town charm, Blue Ridge Mountain atmosphere, family memories, mature love, and an emotional journey home.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HFNJBDHK
• ISBN13: 9798193398653
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 313 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"