A fun, nostalgic story that’s perfect for anyone who wants to take a trip down Memory Lane.
A high school senior hits her head and wakes up as a 30-year-old—and she’s in bed with her now-adult high school nemesis.
Charlotte Wu might be a bit of a control freak, but she knows how to get things done. One of her last tasks before graduating from high school is organizing the perfect prom—but unfortunately, she has to do it with help from her No. 1 enemy, J.T. Renner. He’s been a thorn in her side ever since he stood her up for freshman homecoming, and he seemingly lives to irritate her. But when she falls off a ladder (and right into Renner) as they’re decorating for the big dance, she wakes up in an unfamiliar house—with an adult, bearded Renner beside her in bed, just as confused as she is. It turns out they’re 30 years old and engaged. Time travel is hard enough for Charlotte to understand, but the idea that she’d ever marry the boy she hates more than an unchecked to-do list is unfathomable. As Charlotte and Renner try their best to make it back to their 17-year-old selves, they’re forced to keep up appearances in 2037. They go to work at their former high school (where Charlotte is a counselor and Renner, a gym teacher), hang out with their friends (all of whom have gone through their own changes in the past 13 years), and project the image of a happy couple at their joint bachelor/bachelorette party. As the two of them spend more time together, Charlotte sees a side of Renner he’d never shown her before—but she realizes that maybe she didn’t see it because she was so focused on hating him. Soon, Charlotte is desperate to get back to 2024 so she can make changes in how she lives her life—but will she and Renner be able to travel through time again? Lea creates a story that is part 13 Going on 30, part To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (both referenced in the pop-culture savvy text), and 100% swoony fun. Charlotte and Renner have charming chemistry that would be right at home in a classic teen rom-com.
A fun, nostalgic story that’s perfect for anyone who wants to take a trip down Memory Lane.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781662511684
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Mindy's Book Studio
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.
In Yarros’ latest romance novel, a young woman hires a handsome but infuriating writer to complete her late great-grandmother’s half-finished book.
After her marriage to a Hollywood producer ends in high-profile divorce, 28-year-old Georgia Stanton returns to her childhood home in Colorado. When she arrives at the house where she was raised by her great-grandma—the famous romance author Scarlett Stanton—she finds her mother, Ava, lying in wait. Georgia is in possession of the only unfinished manuscript that her deceased relative left behind, and her own mom wants her to sell the rights so they can get some cash. Georgia succumbs to the pressure and enters a deal in which another author will finish the book’s second half. The manuscript tells Scarlett’s life story, including how she found, and lost, her one true love. Georgia feels strongly that the finished novel must reflect the true events of Scarlett’s life, as difficult as they may have been. Unfortunately, the publishers hire Noah Harrison, a stubborn writer at the height of his career, who has his own fictional vision for the novel’s ending. As Noah and Georgia butt heads, each of them researches Scarlett’s history in England during World War II. As they learn more about Scarlett and Jameson Stanton, the fighter pilot she loved, Georgia and Noah must navigate their own increasingly complicated relationship. With two equally engrossing storylines, this book will draw in even seasoned romance readers. As the story jumps between past and present, the author also alternates present-day perspectives between Georgia and Noah, moving deftly between her characters’ distinct voices. The relationships are well developed, and the love that Scarlett felt for Jameson is especially palpable. Along with the sweetly romantic themes, the book explores several heftier topics, including personal ambition, grief, family discord, and self-esteem. The story has a few digressions that do little to advance the plot, but the main characters are sufficiently engrossing that readers will want to stick with them to the end.
A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68281-566-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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