It was a big lie. The biggest lie she’d ever told. It reverberated through her head as she said it, ringing eerily, and the girl behind her eyes—the girl who knew the truth—screamed, and her scream echoed along with the lie.

“Are you in love with Noah, Mercedes?” Cora asked. “I mean . . . I know you love him. You’ve been friends forever. We all have. But are you in love with him?”

If it had been anyone else—anyone—Mercedes would have stuck out her chest, folded her skinny arms, and let her feelings be known. She would have claimed him. But it was Cora. Brave, beautiful, broken Cora, and Cora loved Noah too.

So Mercedes lied.

And with that lie, she lost him. With that lie, she sealed her fate.

She was the best friend, the bridesmaid, the godmother, the glue. She was there for the good times and the bad, the ups and the downs, the biggest moments and the smallest parts. And she was there when it all came crashing down.

This is the tale of the girl who didn’t get the guy.

Book Type:

Friends-to-Lovers Romance

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The Smallest Part
By Amy Harmon

“In the end, only three things matter: How much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”

With THE SMALLEST PART, Amy Harmon imparts a story of unwavering friendship, of love longed for and love lost, of hardships and hope, and all the beauty in between. This emotional story exquisitely comes to life in Harmon’s poetic style, as we get to know three kids who found each other, and clung to each other despite the hardships they struggled against.

We meet Noah, Mercedes and Cora, first as children, as they battled insecurities and less-than-perfect upbringings. Noah was exceedingly kind and selfless, while Mercedes was spirited and staunchly loyal. Cora was the last in to the fold, and more than anything, she wanted to belong and be seen, to be enough.

Years fed the feelings that both Mercedes and Cora felt for Noah, but in the end, it was Cora who got the boy, as Mercedes made way for their relationship to bloom and grow.

Mercedes was there for every moment of their life. She was the glue, the caretaker and problem solver—the levity often needed in a life that wasn’t as idyllic as imagined. And when everything fell apart, and the bottom was pulled from under them, Mercedes was there again, to pick up the pieces.

“Life wasn’t about getting what you deserved. It was about enduring what you didn’t and not letting it destroy you.”

Theirs is a story of friendship, the strength and fragility of it, of secrets and truths with the power to change everything. It was funny in parts, devastating in others, but all of it was poignant and deeply felt. I loved Mercedes so much, she is a wonderful, unforgettable protagonist, and a glue that held this narrative together too. This slow-burning, friends-to-lovers romance was a joy to read, and if you’ve read Harmon’s other novels, you’ll love seeing some familiar faces. This one is a novel that shouldn’t be missed.

“Loving [her] wasn’t like falling off a cliff. It wasn’t even the heart-clench of a missed step. It wasn’t a jerk or a jostle. It wasn’t tripping or tumbling at all. It was the slow climb of a lifetime of moments, the line upon line, day after day kind of love. And it was deeper and more durable for it.”