Merlin’s heartwarming debut follows a married woman who unexpectedly finds her family of choice during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thirty-something Rachel has worked hard to overcome loss in her life. Ten years earlier, her parents and two younger brothers died together in an RV accident. Recently, her first child, Siobhan, was stillborn. In early 2020, a few months after Siobhan’s death, she and her husband, Job, embark from their home in Chicago for a globe-trotting trip as an attempt to recover from their grief. While they’re in Egypt, Rachel is offered a job as grant manager for Harvard Medical School, and she returns alone to the U.S., where she moves into a 10-bedroom shared house in Boston, while Job continues alone to India with the expectation that he’ll join her a few weeks later. Rachel, an intensely private person, at first questions if she can handle living with so many people, and eagerly awaits Job’s arrival. When the pandemic hits, stranding Job in India, Rachel’s supportive new roommates, many of whom are from other countries and know people around the world, attempt to help Job get back to the U.S. As the virus continues to spread, Merlin expertly keeps readers guessing which of the housemates will be affected, and her well-drawn characters demonstrate the strength that comes from community. Readers will want to see more from Merlin. (Self-published)