When Shay Zucconi’s step-grandmother died, she left Shay a tulip farm-under two conditions.
First, Shay has to move home to the small town of Friendship, Rhode Island. Second-and most problematic since her fiancé just called off the wedding-Shay must be married within one year.
Marriage is the last thing in the world Shay wants but she’ll do anything to save the only real home she’s ever known.
Noah Barden loved Shay Zucconi back in high school. Not that he ever told her. He was too shy, too awkward, too painfully uncool to ask out the beautiful, popular girl.
A lifetime later, Noah is a single dad to his niece and has his hands full running the family business. That old crush is the farthest thing from his mind.
Until Shay returns to their hometown and turns his life upside down.
From the very first page, In a Jam pulled me in and didn’t let go until the very last page. It’s the kind of story that wraps you up in second chances, self-discovery, and small-town charm, and refuses to let go until you’ve laughed, blushed, and maybe even cried a little.
When we first meet Shay Zucconi, her life is in full freefall. Her wedding is off, her confidence is shattered, and her ex has left her doubting her worth in every possible way. She’s quirky, kind, and smarter than she gives herself credit for, but she’s also deeply insecure, convinced she’ll never be enough for anyone. So when her step-grandmother leaves her a tulip farm, with the catch that she must move back home and be married within a year, Shay takes it as a sign to start over.
“The start of your villain era,” she said. “The ‘no fucks given, ask me if I care, throw out your whole life and start over just because you feel like it’ era.”
Enter Noah Barden. The grumpy, growly, painfully shy high-school friend who once loved her from afar. Now he’s a single guardian to his hilarious, chaotic niece Gennie, juggling the farm, family, and far too many responsibilities for one man. He’s equal parts cinnamon roll and filthy-mouthed alpha, and honestly? I adored every version of him. Noah’s the kind of hero who worships quietly, who remembers every detail, who bakes bread and still manages to make it sound dirty. Daddy Bread Baker indeed.
“Come for the forearms, stay for the jam. That’s quite the business plan.”
When Shay realizes the only way to keep her grandmother’s tulip farm is to get married, a fake marriage with Noah seems like the perfect solution. No feelings. No strings. Just a practical arrangement between old friends. But it doesn’t take long before that thin line between convenient and real starts to blur, and every lingering glance and flirty comment turns into something they can’t ignore.
Their chemistry is undeniable—the slow build, the tension, the heat—and when it finally snaps? Absolute perfection. Noah is not shy in the bedroom; he’s commanding, dirty, and all in, and the way Shay meets his intensity makes every scene feel electric. But what makes their relationship shine is the emotional core beneath it—the care, the vulnerability, the way they help each other heal.
“Stop giving yourself to people who have no hope of ever playing on your level. Stop chasing people who don’t know how to show up for you…Don’t mourn the loss of people who don’t deserve you.”
The secondary cast adds so much life to this story. Gennie steals every single scene she’s in, equal parts wild and heartbreaking, and the way Shay and Noah love her through her pain was beautiful. Shay’s teacher friends bring the best kind of chaotic energy, balancing the emotional moments with humor and warmth that feels like found family in its purest form.
“Just wait until Daddy Bread Baker gives you his baguette.”
What I loved most, though, was how Kate Canterbary wrote these characters with real bodies, real insecurities, and real love. Shay’s body positivity and self-acceptance arc were handled with honesty and grace, reminding readers that beauty has never been about perfection—it’s about being wholly, unapologetically yourself.
“Bodies are extremely temporary and they’re the least interesting things about us. They carry us around while we’re on this earth and there’s nothing more I can ask from my body than that. I certainly wouldn’t spend any time worrying about the size or shape of anyone else’s body. Not when I could care about their heart and their mind instead.”
In a Jam isn’t just a romance. It’s a story about rediscovering your worth, letting love in, and realizing that sometimes the life that falls apart is the one that finally leads you home. It’s heartfelt, funny, filthy, and full of warmth in every possible way.