Note: This review DOES contain light spoilers.

Let me begin by stating, this book had a quirky yet, exciting vibe. The way the author told this story caught my eye. The novel had a uniqueness that gave the story a nice warm and fuzzy feeling.  The Layover was my first book by this author; I’m already trolling her website to see if she has other books of this caliber. I found a few titles I intend to read later. Encore, From Scratch, and Inheritance are the books listed on her author’s page. I’ll update you guys and review after reading the others.

The story began with a sad Lena Ward. Lena was a travel blogger who’d given up her home life following the sudden death of her mother. She and her sister lived in Oakland. The sisters, their mother and Lena’s friend Aiya were like family.  Lena’s mother instilled all the love and joy for 70’s and 80’s music. The passion she’d held slowly began to strangle her as she blogged from around the world. Lena missed the connections she’d once had in Oakland and the feeling of loss as she had no place to call home after losing her mother.

Tony Dembe`le` was a podcaster Lena flirted with on social media for a few months, but they had never met personally.  Tony was low-key following Lena as she was doing the same in his regards.  The day he interviewed her for his Podcast things changed between them. Later after a sweet night together with so much affection I was surprised by the turn of events in the story. Maybe, I wasn’t astonished, but I was somewhat in my feeling at that point in the story. Three plus months pass before the two reunited and all was right with the world again.

A few side notes: The story had some exciting musical selections associated with Lena’s travels. Each city or stop in her travel destination had a specific playlist. I liked the way she associated certain situations with a song from the 70s,80s, and the 90s. The chapters in the story sounded a lot like old-school record album labels.  The ancillary characters were an excellent match for this story. Kwame, Aiyanna and her sister Lisa played a pivotal part in telling this story. I loved the way the author ended this story. I’m tuned in for what’s next. A nicely told story. 4.5 stars.