The History of Us: a novel

Written by Jennifer Bardsley

Narrated by Whitney Dykhouse and Alexander Cendese

From Sweet Bliss author Jennifer Bardsley comes a poignant romance about a small-town crime that throws together ex–high school sweethearts who have never quite gotten over their past.

Andrea Wint’s life in the small town of Port Inez, Washington, is a simple one. She works, enjoys the gorgeous view from her bay window, and visits her dad at the memory-care facility. Her father is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, but Andrea brings in one coin from his valuable collection every day—little bits of precious metals that seem to bring him back to himself, even if just for a few moments.

So when Andrea’s house is burgled and the coins disappear, she’s bereft.

To track down the culprit, she turns to Dustin Karlsson, who just happens to be her former high school sweetheart. Years ago, they broke each other’s hearts, and some wounds are slow to heal. But Dustin feels indebted to the ailing Tom Wint and wants to help.

What’s more, Dustin has a personal stake in finding the perpetrator. In fact, he suspects the thief could be his own brother-in-law, a gambler and a drunk who skipped town, leaving Dustin’s sister and two young nieces behind.

As Dustin and Andrea travel the Pacific Northwest in an effort to recover the missing coins, old feelings rekindle. Maybe their happily ever after can still be minted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781713663720

Jennifer Bardsley

Jennifer Bardsley believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. A graduate of Stanford University, she lives in Edmonds, Washington, with her husband and two children. Bardsley’s column, I Brake for Moms, has appeared in the Everett Herald every week since 2012. She also writes young adult paranormal romance under the pen name Louise Cypress. When Bardsley’s not writing books or camping with her Girl Scout troop, you can find her walking from her house to the beach every chance she gets. Sign up for Bardsley’s author newsletter, and you’ll receive Marlo’s stir-fry dinner recipe: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/o1l7v3.

Reviews for The History of Us

[thepageladies · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The History of Us is a cute small town romance story about giving love a second chance. The character development was good. Especially when it came to feeling what they felt. There was a nice chemistry between Dustin and Andrea. It was a sweet, tender and heartwarming romance. The writing is great and I liked the touch of mystery! The pace is great in the beginning but it does slow a little in the middle but then it picks back up again and I really liked the ending. It was a good read! Thank you Literary Bound Book Tours and Jennifer Bardsley for sharing this book with me!

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love when a character driven story just hits me in the heart. That is exactly what author, Jennifer Bardsley does with The History of Us. As soon as I started reading, I was instantly emotionally connected with Andrea and her father. Luckily, my parents do not have Alzheimer's, but I could easily imagine one of them experiencing it and me being in Andrea's shoes. I found myself reading multiple chapters at a time. Then there is Andrea and Dustin's past. I like that they slowly worked out their heart break and reconnected but not instant. Thus, it felt real as they were pouring out their feelings. While, the story may have focused on Andrea and Dustin, Dustin's sister played a good part in the story as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and do want to read other books by Jennifer.