An Optimistвђ™s Guide To Heartbreak By Jennifer H... < 2026 >

Cal is the "overcast sky" to Lucy’s "sun".

Lucy Hope is a "sunshine personified" 23-year-old who returns to her childhood neighborhood and impulse-buys the house that belonged to her late best friend, Emma. Seeking a connection to her past, she gets a job at a local auto shop, only to find her new boss is Emma’s older brother, Cal Bishop. An Optimist’s Guide to Heartbreak by Jennifer H...

Lucy and Cal were childhood neighbors and inseparable friends until a tragedy involving Emma forced the Bishops to move away. Cal is the "overcast sky" to Lucy’s "sun"

Cal has transformed from the boy Lucy loved into a "broken, grumpy man" covered in tattoos who prefers solitude. Lucy and Cal were childhood neighbors and inseparable

A deep, shared history that neither can truly outrun.

A focus on local connections and community.

An Optimist’s Guide to Heartbreak by Jennifer Hartmann is the first half of the , an emotional, grumpy-sunshine romance about childhood friends reuniting under the shadow of a tragic past. 📖 The Core Story