A fun and effervescent, if uneven, debut.
In this debut queer romance, a musician must convince an old high school friend, now an actual movie star, to perform at his father's retirement concert.
Quito Cruz and Emmett Aoki seemed like opposites in high school. Emmett was a popular athlete, already modeling underwear for Macy's ads. Quito was the son of Sunvalley High School's choir teacher, and while he was gifted with music, his sexuality made him a target for bullies. When Emmett joined the choir after dropping out of woodshop, both Quito and his father saw a diamond in the rough. With a less-than-subtle nudge, Mr. Cruz convinced Quito to tutor Emmett in singing, leading to a tentative friendship and a secret relationship between the boys. Now, as adults, they haven't spoken in decades. Quito plays at a Manhattan piano bar and dreams of producing his own Broadway show. Emmett is a famous action star, starring in a spy thriller on Apple TV. When Quito's father decides to retire, he tells Quito he's announced plans to host a retirement fundraising concert and has already promised attendees that Emmett will be performing. It's clear to Quito that his father has vastly overstated the two men's current relationship, but, unwilling to disappoint his dad, he decides to try to reunite with Emmett. With Quito narrating, the book is split between “Then” and “Now” chapters, juxtaposing awkward and sometimes painful high school moments with Quito’s current life, in which he's very much stuck both professionally and romantically. He also has trouble saying no to people, which frequently leads him to overpromise things at the expense of his own emotional well-being. While the romance between Quito and Emmett is sizzling and sweet, it takes a back seat to Quito’s journey of self-fulfillment, and there’s a disjointedness to the book as Lim piles on the romance tropes without pause. The romance and Quito’s own personal journey are both compelling, but they could have used more breathing room. There’s a lot of promise in Lim’s debut, though, with its dual-timeline storytelling, charming cast, and love of show tunes.
A fun and effervescent, if uneven, debut.Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781538725382
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The forbidden romance trope fails because the conflict is so pedestrian.
A professional hockey player has feelings for the one woman he can’t have: his soon-to-be stepsister.
Sig Gauthier loves his job playing defense for the Boston Bearcats, and he’s proved himself a real asset to the team. When this season ends, he will renegotiate his mediocre, low-paying contract, one he accepted while injured and desperate for any team to sign him. When his father asks him to come to dinner to meet his new girlfriend, Sig decides to go, since it’s only a few hours’ drive to Darien, Connecticut, and he’s curious. On the way, his ancient truck breaks down, and he pulls into a country club parking lot where he meets Chloe Clifford, the most beautiful, alluring woman he’s ever seen. Chloe dreams of accepting a seat as a harpist at a conservatory in Boston; however, her wealthy, controlling mother wants her to stay in Darien. That night at dinner, Sig is surprised to find Chloe there—and when they discover their parents are planning to marry each other, they realize they can only be friends themselves. Sig encourages Chloe to come with him to Boston, where he rents her an apartment despite it being a massive financial burden. Several months pass. They long for each other, but studiously ignore their incendiary sexual chemistry and remain friends. When the press realizes that Sig’s biggest fan is his soon-to-be-stepsister, his new general manager tells him he must choose between Chloe or re-signing with the team. Everything rests on the premise that two people who meet as adults would be entering into a taboo, forbidden relationship because their parents are about to marry. Although Bailey does her best to sell it, the pretext keeping her characters apart is thin and underdeveloped. Chloe and Sig are wild for each other from the second they meet, which negates any attempt to create tension or conflict.
The forbidden romance trope fails because the conflict is so pedestrian.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063380783
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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