It’s the holidays, and Alaina has just been dumped. Determined to have the romantic Christmas she’s always wanted, she sets out on a cross-country road trip to surprise her ex-boyfriend and convince him she’s the one. But her grand plans are derailed when she drives straight into a snowbank in the middle of nowhere, Utah. She’s rescued by Priscilla, a terse, unsmiling bookstore owner with zero interest in holiday cheer. Stranded in the ski town of Brooks with her car out of commission, Alaina makes a bucket list of festive adventures to prove she’s fun and adventurous enough to love—and to her surprise, Priscilla offers to join her.

Between tree-cutting misadventures, ice-skating lessons, and a night beneath the stars, Alaina’s plan goes off without a hitch—except that the longer she spends with Priscilla, the less she’s sure of what, or who, she really wants. All throughout Brooks, the two run into locals who adore Priscilla—from the mechanic to the owner of the diner—and soon, it’s clear that Priscilla’s hard exterior masks a tender heart, one that’s just as afraid as Alaina that she’s not worth loving. It may just take a Christmas miracle to show them that true love might be closer than you think.

A heartwarming romance packed with small-town cheer, A Very Merry Detour is about how opening ourselves up to love—whether it’s for friends, family, or home—always makes room for our most authentic selves.