Please Wait to Cross - available now online and in bookstores
Who says you can’t find love in the middle of a midlife crisis?
"No one writes life crisis/new chance at love better than Elissa Bass. PLEASE WAIT TO CROSS is funny and poignant, the story of a woman returning home to find out where she's going. Elissa Bass writes with fierce wit and deep insight, transporting us to Cape Cod and introducing us to Beth--a wonderful character you wish could become your best friend. This heartfelt novel will captivate you, make you believe in the power of a second act, and show you that love might be waiting just across the street.
~ Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author
At 18, Elizabeth “Bitty” Rhinehart leaves her suburban Boston family home, bound for college in the Midwest. Forty years later, her sister in crisis, Bitty returns to Cape Cod, and ends up rebooting her own life. She quits her high-pressure CFO job, insists that everyone calls her Beth, and becomes a school crossing guard.
Chief Mike Ponce rises quickly through the ranks of his hometown police department on the Cape, but being in charge isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Now in his mid-50s, twice divorced, adrift and dissatisfied, he begins to accept the idea that he'll be alone for the rest of his life.
What happens when two successful people who think they have it all figured out learn that, in fact, they don't?
Alexa Young, CA
You will fall in love with Beth! She is a mess, she is lovable, she is sensitive, she is a force. PWTC is relatable and real. I laughed, cried and snorted a few times and couldn't wait to turn the page. I loved seeing Beth find her passion, people and love. The awkward and quirky moments between her and Ponce were some of my favorite parts. Bass' romance style captures you immediately, her characters all bring a unique angle and needed touch that has you hoping every page brings something new.
Morgan James, NY
Elissa Bass takes us through the full range of emotions with Beth and Mike—I felt wrung out (in the best way) after turning the final page. Fans of Happy Hour will be delighted to return for a visit with KK and Jay, while also falling for her older sister and the town’s police chief.
Lisa Driver, MI
I loved this story of two people in their 50s finding each other as they struggle with the choices they have made. Bitty is a hugely successful former CEO who stepped away from the rat race and found joy in being a school crossing guard who helps kids get into college and leads yoga and dance moves as they wait for the light to change. Mike is a grizzled police chief who has seen it all. Together and apart they try to sum up the life they have, the life they want, and wonder if they can make it together. The story is nuanced and expresses both universal truth and complicated love in a plot that moves forward to the last sentence. The author, Elissa Bass, is a masterful writer of vast talent; I look forward to anything she writes, but I hope it is another book.
Media
Feature in The Berkshire Eagle
Interview with The Day
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