This Never Should Have Happened - Lived-In Love Book 2

The Story Behind the Book

This Never Should Have Happened is a literary fiction novel by Bart A. Charlow born from a desire to see a love story that feels entirely true to both human nature and the places we inhabit.

Real relationships rarely follow a script, and neither do the settings that shape them. Written from a deeply candid male perspective, this book explores the unexpected ways love arrives later in life, moving between the distinct landscapes of the California coast and the historic Catskills.

The depth of this story is grounded in two halves of my life. The psychological realism draws directly from my lifelong professional background as a therapist, capturing the quiet hesitation, timing, and emotional baggage we carry as adults. 

Meanwhile, the rich, realistic atmosphere of the settings comes from my heritage as a third-generation Borscht Belt Catskill hotelman. I wanted the locations to be characters themselves—bringing an authentic sense of place to a slow-burning narrative of realism and depth. 

This book is written specifically for mature readers who look for nuance over tropes, honest human connection, and a deeply textured sense of place.

Book Elements

• Title: This Never Should Have Happened

• Author: Bart A. Charlow

• Genre: Literary Fiction / Realistic Romance

• Settings: Catskills (New York) and Northern California

• Core Themes: Later-in-life love, psychological realism, geographic depth, male point of view

• Reader Profile: Intended for a mature audience seeking emotional and narrative depth

About the Author

Bart A. Charlow writes literary fiction rooted in real-world human behavior and deeply textured settings. Growing up as a third-generation Borscht Belt Catskill hotelman and later building a career as a therapist on the San Francisco Bay Peninsula, his writing seamlessly blends psychological insight with a rich, authentic sense of place.