Hold on, I have to stop crying before I can continue…
OK. DEAR GODS. Where do I even begin? Sage & Fisher. My heart will never be the same. I laughed, I cried, I laughed while crying, and I cried while laughing. The last two being very different, but equally amazing emotional states. Sage & Fisher are EVERYTHING. Relationship goals, friend goals, found family goals, small town goals, adopted animal goals – just – ALL. THE. GOALS. I have not loved or been moved by a book this much in a very long time.
Sage Byrd has lived in Spunes, Oregon all her life. She lost both her parents at 12 and was raised by her 3 brothers. Now she happily lives in the house she grew up in on the edge of town and tends to her farm. Sage is a high school social studies teacher, mother to many orphaned animals, and lover of terrible puns. She is also very tired. Tired of being pitied, tired of being overlooked, and tired of being devalued. She dated the town golden boy, Ian, for 5 years and he belittled Sage the entire time they were together. They broke up a little over a year ago and he’s already engaged to someone else. Typical. Sage doesn’t ask for much from life. She wants to feel important to someone, she wants to feel useful, and more than anything, she just wants to be happy. And maybe – just maybe – one day she’ll find someone who will love her “as is”.
Fisher Lang is a three-time Michelin star winning chef. His sister died in a car accident three years ago, and life has been nothing but rocks in his pocket, dragging him down, ever since. After spending 15 years deeply ingrained in, and at the top of the culinary industry, Fisher is teetering dangerously close to a meltdown. Three months ago, it happened. The result? He lost his restaurant one of their Michelin stars and got himself fired. Two months ago, his niece, Indy, ran away from his parent’s house in Nebraska, and showed up on his doorstep in NY. One week ago, his former boss/business partner staged an intervention of sorts, and confronted Fisher about “the incident” that ended his career. She’s willing to give Fisher a second chance, so he’s now on his way to Sprunes, Oregon, teenage niece in tow, where he will design a menu, and set up her new restaurant, Starhopper. Oh, and Indy is resentful, angry, and seemingly hell bent on hating him, so life is going swimmingly for Fisher.
When Fisher arrives in Sprunes, his rental house is across the meadow from Sage’s farm. After an eventful first night, the two meet and Sage quickly realizes that Fisher & Indy are both struggling on every level. Sage befriends Indy and puts her to work on the farm and asks Fisher for help with some errands to make him feel useful. Along the way, she gives Fisher some sage advice, they become friends, and Fisher slowly begins to emerge from his funk.
Sage’s favorite place in all of Sprune, other than her farm, is the library. After unexpectedly coming face to face with her ex, Ian, and his new fiancée, Cassidy, Sage is shaken & embarrassed. In an attempt to help Sage take back her library, feel in control, and powerful again (and also to shamelessly flirt a little), Fisher offers to kiss Sage between the stacks so Ian can see. By the next day, the gossip train has barreled through town, and everyone thinks Sage and Fisher are dating. Shortly after, Fisher runs into some permitting problems with Starhopper, and Sage is still looking for a partner for the yearly Festival of Sprunes canoe race (that she’s desperate to win). Fisher and Sage agree to do a little bit of fake dating so Sage can help Fisher get Starhopper back on track with the Main Street Business Coalition, and in return, Fisher will be her partner for all the festival activities. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize this thing between them isn’t pretend. Their feelings are growing exponentially, and Fisher’s time in Sprunes has an expiration date. They are both in too deep, and deeply in love with each other.
Can Fisher and Sage figure out how to love each other “as is”? Will they win the canoe race? What happens to Bert and Ernie, the baby Nigerian Dwarf goats? Or the miniature donkey family, Rosemary and Ginger? And most importantly, will SageByrd, Fisher, and Indy get their happily ever after? Do yourself a favor and just read the book. It comes out on May 21, 2024. Pre-order now & thank me later.
Also, Gary the goose & Indy. ❤️ 👩🏻 🪿 ❤️
I’m just not emotionally capable of saying more about Gary right now. (IYKYK)
Mrs. DeWitt. You had absolutely no right to shatter my heart and make me ugly cry so hard that all 3 of my cats came to check on me. And then – THEN – you had the gall to put the teeny tiny pieces of my broken heart back together, better than before, and make me smile, and then laugh through those tears. I have been forever changed by Sage & Fisher. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU – but also – HOW DARE YOU. Savor It will live rent free in my head for a long, long time.
It’s been a privilege to read your novel, Tarah.
Aaaaand…I’m crying again.
** I received this book for free from St. Martin's Griffin, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. **