The Name Game by Beth O'Leary

THE NAME GAME by Beth O'Leary (The Switch, The Road Trip and others) is a cute, if confusing, story. Two people with the same name – Charlie Jones – show up to manage a farm store on a remote island named Ormer. Each so desperately craves a fresh start (“It’s so tiring. Trying to be what I think other people think I should be.”) that they agree to share the managerial responsibilities for the summer. The island doesn’t allow motorized vehicles and sports a cohesive local community filled with eccentric characters (like the doctor who is also a fabulous baker). Readers gradually learn parts of the Charlie Jones back stories (e.g., about a former girlfriend and boyfriend), but there is a lot to track and sharing a name doesn’t help. Emotions, especially romance and anxiety, run rampant and readers may, like one of the characters, ask themselves, “When did everything get so messy? It’s all lies and secrets and people pretending to be things they’re not.” An engaging story, but one that is hard to follow, especially at the end, THE NAME GAME is an April 2026 LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection. Booklist describes it as “a perfect read for those who enjoy the voice of Bridget Jones or want their romance with a side of drama.”