Synopses & Reviews
The poignant story of what happens when a woman who thinks she's lost everything has the chance to love again.
Leo has long joked that, in the event of his death, he wants his best friend Garrett, a lifelong bachelor, to marry his wife, Audrey. One drunken night, he goes so far as to make Garrett promise to do so. Then, twelve years later, Leo, a veteran firefighter, dies in a skiing accident.
As Audrey navigates her new role as widow and single parent, Garrett quits his job in Boston and buys a one-way ticket out west. Before long, Audrey's feelings for Garrett become more than platonic, and Garrett finds himself falling for Audrey, her boys, and their life together in Portland. When Audrey finds out about the drunken pact from years ago, though, the harmless promise that brought Garrett into her world becomes the obstacle to his remaining in it.
Review
"The Sweetheart Deal hits all of my favorite topics: loss, pain, friendship, betrayal-but ultimately love. It's the most romantic story I've read in years." Elin Hilderbrand, author of Beautiful Day and The Matchmaker
Review
"Heartfelt and wise, Polly Dugan's The Sweetheart Deal reminds us that every difficult ending can lead to a beautiful new beginning." Sarah Jio, author of The Violets of March and Goodnight June
Review
"The Sweetheart Deal, a beautifully-written debut, proves that the best love stories are the unconventional ones. Fans of Good Grief and PS, I Love You will adore this novel, which is brimming with heart and hope and perfectly balanced by the bittersweet." Sarah Pekkanen, author of The Opposite of Me
About the Author
Polly Dugan lives in Portland, Oregon, and is a reader at Tin House magazine. A former employee of Powell's Books, she is an alumna of the Tin House Writer's Workshop. Dugan's first published story, "A Matter of Time," was Line Zero's Spring 2012 Literary Contest Winner, "Masquerades" (as "One At a Time"), was Narrative's Story of the Week (December 2012), and "Kitten Season" was an Honorable Mention Recipient in Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers (August 2009).