Mrs. Nash's Ashes


 
 
 
 Praise for Mrs. Nash’s Ashes
 “Brilliantly constructed and full of unforgettable characters, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes is an unequivocal delight. Fans of Emily Henry and Sarah Hogle, you’ve found your newest obsession.”
 —Ava Wilder, author of How to Fake It in Hollywood
 “At turns both zany and heart-wrenching . . . this is a treasure of a story that lived and breathed inside my heart.”
 —Anita Kelly, author of Something Wild & Wonderful
 “Sarah Adler nails the ultimate rom-com alchemy with her sparkling debut, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes. Full of zippy banter, gorgeous prose, and tender-hearted characters who give the novel a deep, emotional core, it’s a complete delight.”
 —Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After
 “This unforgettable road trip runs on laugh-out-loud humor, deeply felt romance, a profound sense of the unexpected, and classic rock radio—we loved every mile.”
 —Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft
 “Mrs. Nash’s Ashes is a delightfully fun and utterly romantic debut. Adler has it all—fresh characters, fabulous writing, and enormous heart.”
 —Sarah Grunder Ruiz, author of Luck and Last Resorts
 “With an unforgettable voice, Adler crafts a tale full of humor and heart, proving that love sometimes finds us when we least expect it.”
 —Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail
 “Instantly addictive! . . . Pure rom-com gold. Witty, fun, and yet also deeply affecting, this remarkably strong debut from Sarah Adler is sure to win hearts.”
 —India Holton, bestselling author of The League of Gentlewomen Witches
 “Witty, beautifully written, and laced with sexual tension and suspense . . . I expected that I’d be enjoying one romance but ended up falling in love with two. Extraordinary storytelling.”
 —Sarah Hogle, author of Just Like Magic
 “A delightful debut from Sarah Adler! This is a road-trip romance at its best, with all the forced proximity, unexpected intimacies, and questionable music playlists that come with it . . . a journey I didn’t want to end.”
 —Jen DeLuca, USA Today bestselling author of Well Matched
 “Adler perfectly mixes humor, heart, and steam to create a flawless rom-com. If you’re in the mood for a true rom-com, you cannot go wrong with this book!”
 —Falon Ballard, author of Lease on Love and Just My Type
 “Playful, sexy, and unexpected in the very best way, Sarah Adler is a dazzling new voice in romantic comedy.”
 —Jen Devon, author of Bend Toward the Sun
 “I laughed. I sobbed. I loved it! Soft, sweet, and utterly enchanting, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler is a delightfully funny and poignant romance that sticks with you like a warm and gooey cinnamon roll.”
 —Ashley Poston, New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 BERKLEY ROMANCE
 Published by Berkley
 An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
 penguinrandomhouse.com
 
 Copyright © 2023 by Sarah Adler
 Readers Guide copyright © 2023 by Sarah Adler
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 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 Names: Adler, Sarah, 1991– author.
 Title: Mrs. Nash’s ashes / Sarah Adler.
 Description: First edition. | New York: Berkley Romance, 2023.
 Identifiers: LCCN 2022037538 (print) | LCCN 2022037539 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593547793 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780593547809 (ebook)
 Subjects: LCGFT: Romance fiction. | Novels.
 Classification: LCC PS3601.D5748 M77 2023 (print) | LCC PS3601.D5748 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23/eng/20220816
 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037538
 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037539
 Cover design and illustration by Vikki Chu
 Book design by George Towne, adapted for ebook by Jessica Arnold
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 pid_prh_6.0_143550374_c0_r0
 
 
 
 
 To Houston—
 You were right; this was the one.
 
 
 Content Note
 While this is a book with a happy ending and hopefully lots of laughs along the way, it also includes instances of, discussions about, and references to ableist language; death, including parental death (in the past, off-page); grief; historical homophobia; the objectification of girls and women; and toxic relationships. If any of these are potentially sensitive for you, please read with care.
 
 
 1
 • • • • •
 Rose McIntyre Nash died peacefully in her sleep at age ninety-eight, and now I carry part of her with me wherever I go. I do not mean that figuratively. She’s inside a small wooden box tucked away in my backpack as we speak. Not all of her, of course. Geoffrey Nash wasn’t about to hand over his entire grandmother to the weird girl who lived in her spare bedroom. But Geoffrey was kind enough to give me three tablespoons of her ashes (again, not figurative; he portioned her out with a measuring spoon from the kitchen). Probably not the request he was expecting when he asked if I’d like something to remember her by, but he didn’t seem to mind too much. I think he was mostly relieved I didn’t want her highly collectible radioactive Fiestaware.
 Geez, this is making me sound like a total wackadoo. I’m not, though, I promise. I know that’s exactly what a wackadoo would say, but I’m really just a relatively normal person who happens to be traveling to Key West with a small amount of human remains.
 I’m going about this all wrong; let me start at the beginning.
 Mrs. Nash had been living in Apartment 1B