Ephemeral Beauty

Ephemeral Beauty
A Novel by Liguo Yu

When grief cracks open a heart, can love still find a way in?

Danielle Chao has already known deep love-and devastating loss. As a single mother and fiercely dedicated professional, she's rebuilt a life one quiet, careful step at a time.

But everything changes during a snowstorm layover at O'Hare, when she meets Michael Chen-a former Olympian turned volunteer high school coach, gentle in spirit and carrying shadows of his own.

What begins as an unexpected connection unfolds into something deeper: a slow-burning, quietly radiant love story that dares to bloom in the middle of Autumn.

Told across seasons and cities-South Bend, Chicago, Paris, and beyond-Ephemeral Beauty traces the layered journey of two people finding each other amidst the wreckage of their pasts. Along the way, they navigate parenting, memory, aging, and the way grief carves space for tenderness.

But just as Danielle prepares for the next phase, a phone call from Lisbon threatens to unravel everything.

Moving, luminous, and deeply human, Ephemeral Beauty is a story about the love we lose, the love we find, and the courage it takes to embrace both. For anyone who has loved after heartbreak or found meaning in fleeting moments, this novel is a quiet reminder:

Even when it doesn't last forever, beauty is always worth noticing.