In Tirado-Ryen’s novel, an amnesiac attempts to piece together her life and doesn’t like what she finds.

In New York City in 2013, a woman wakes up from a coma with no recollections of her past and no forms of identification. Vague memories make her believe that her name is Victoria “Vickie” Winslow, and that she enjoys exciting hobbies, such as skydiving. She was hit by a car driven by movie star Jack Post, and she takes up his offer to stay at his mansion until she figures out her next move. They have crackling romantic chemistry, but it’s interrupted when a private investigator discovers that Vickie’s real name is actually Anne Strafford—and that she’s married. Anne doesn’t get a warm welcome from her loved ones; instead, she discovers that her husband, Frederick, has had her served with divorce papers; apparently, incriminating emails prove that Anne has had multiple affairs. As Anne continues to delve into her previous life, she uncovers more details that seem inconsistent with what she remembers, as well as horrifying evidence of past misdeeds—including what led to her getting hit by a car. Anne sets out to make amends with her estranged spouse and twin sister, determined to right the wrongs she’s just starting to recall: “These moments came to her unexpectedly… Giant gaps between memories, flashes of insight that she could never be certain were true. But she had to trust herself, for she had no one else.” It’s a testament to Tirado-Ryen’s talent that readers will sympathize with Anne and her plight, even when she becomes easy to dislike as her former personality comes to light. Some minor inconsistencies (such as a reference to banana peppers that become bell peppers on the next page) may pull the reader out of the novel. Still, the naturalistic dialogue and brisk pace will keep readers engaged, as will the unpredictable plot.

A breezy romantic thriller with enough intriguing twists to satisfy fans of the genre.

A woman babysits her niece and learns some important lessons in Tirado-Ryen’s novel.

It’s 2005 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and 26-year-old Kim Kincaid has been tasked with babysitting her 6-year-old niece, Summer, while Kim’s older sister, Dena Nordstrom, is on vacation with her husband at a ski resort for two weeks. Kim is ill-equipped to take care of a child—pretty much the only sustenance in her house at the moment is leftover Chinese takeout and vodka—but she resents the fact that her sister thinks she’d be bad at it. The novel jumps around a bit, presenting flashbacks of Kim’s relationships with her family members, but most of the story follows Kim as she adjusts to taking care of a young child. She struggles at first, but she and Summer do eventually bond, and Kim learns that she can be a responsible adult when she tries. Readers also meet her best friend, Jillian Martin, who has a big personality; she’s having an affair with her married boss. Kim’s also starting to have doubts about Jared McKenzie, her boyfriend of two years, who comes off as a jerk; he’s so awful, in fact, that readers may find it hard to muster much sympathy as Kim decides whether to break up with him. This is a layered story, with complicated relationships between Kim and her late mother, between Kim and Dena, and between Kim and her friends and boyfriend; the siblings’ parents consider Dena to be the family’s golden child, and Kim struggles to get out of her shadow, which increases her insecurity in other areas of her life. Some flashbacks feel a bit unnecessary, revealing little that readers can’t gather from the main storyline; for example, in 2005, Kim has an encounter with a woman who bullied her in high school, and readers can easily infer how mean that woman is, but the author includes a flashback of her bullying Kim in the past, anyway. Overall, though, this is a pleasing story of a young woman deciding what she wants.

A slightly uneven but often sweet coming-of-age tale.

A teenager falls into an unexpected relationship with her father’s friend in Tirado-Ryen’s novel.

Connie Baltimore is an 18-year-old in her last year of high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, when her life gets shaken up in the year 2000. Her grandmother has flown in from Jamaica to stay with the family until Connie’s graduation, and Connie’s older sister, Alison, has also moved back home following a terrible fight with her husband. In addition, her dad’s recentlywidowed, 35-year-old friend Nicholas Riley has been invited to live with them for a few months until he gets back on his feet; he hasn’t worked as a journalist since his wife’s death. Connie has never been in love, nor has she ever had a serious boyfriend, but she soon finds herself connecting with Nick and falling into a slow-burn romance that makes up much of the plot. The narrative places a lot of emphasis on the age difference between the two main characters, with both resisting the possibility of a relationship; Nick is given to phrases such as “If I was ten years younger…,” and Connie refers the idea of her having a crush on him as “perverted.” In addition, strangers mistake the couple as a father and daughter. Outside the romance plot, however, the Baltimore family comes across as complex and real, and the complicated dynamics of Connie’s relationship with her best friend, Dee Ramsey, offer a heartfelt examination of growing older and growing apart. The work succeeds as a coming-of-age story, but it’s one that never quite decides how it wants readers to perceive the main couple. Because of that, some may find it hard to connect to the romantic element of the story. Connie is a charming enough character to keep the story afloat, however.

A tentative romance that’s strengthened by complex characterization.