A fun book worth reading for its inventive magical world.
A woman returns to her New England hometown and discovers that she's part of the supernatural world.
Cassandra Camberwell had an idyllic childhood in the small town of Hollow Brook, but when she was in high school, her lifelong best friend, Seth Brubaker, started bullying her in an effort to fit in with the popular crowd of mean boys. Soured on the town, Cassie stayed away for a decade. Now she’s returned to clean out the home she inherited after her grandmother’s death and prepare it for sale. The first night she returns, Seth knocks on the door, insisting he needs one of her grandmother’s journals. After Cassie witnesses him going through a shocking physical transformation, Seth reveals that he’s a werewolf. He begs Cassie to try brewing the concoction her grandmother made to help him control his wolf. Cassie's potion is even more effective than her grandmother's was, and Seth realizes she must be a very powerful witch. Once she opens herself up to the possibility, Cassie discovers she can wield magical items and communicate with other magical creatures; she realizes she’s been suppressing her innate powers her whole life. Seth offers to teach her and guide her through this new world in exchange for her continued potion-making efforts. Readers will delight in Cassie’s gleeful discovery of the magical world, populated with zany, inventive details such as flying vacuum cleaners, fairies riding caterpillars who feed on thimbles full of honey, and a sentient microwave oven threatening legal action. Cassie’s romance with Seth lacks the same vitality and energy. They dance around their painful past, unable to communicate their true feelings. Only after the return of her other high school bullies does Cassie realize that Seth feels more for her than friendship. Their romance is rushed and underdeveloped compared to the rich magical world they exist in.
A fun book worth reading for its inventive magical world.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781250352330
Page Count: 368
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
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