A slow-burn romance full of passion, yearning, and behind-the-scenes Hollywood details.
A journalist and a troubled movie star reconnect after a fateful interview 10 years ago.
When journalist Chani Horowitz nabs an interview with actor Gabe Parker, she doesn’t know it’s going to be her big break. She's jealous that her former MFA classmates are succeeding in the literary world while she’s writing celebrity puff pieces. Gabe may be her No. 1 celebrity crush and the next James Bond, but she doesn’t expect much—that is, until she meets him and they have an instant connection. The interview turns into an invitation to a movie premiere and a party at his house. Her piece on him goes viral, finally earning her fame and a steady career—but right after it comes out, Gabe marries his co-star, and Chani’s left feeling heartbroken and foolish. Ten years later, Chani has the kind of career she could’ve only dreamed about back then. People are clamoring for her next essay collection, but she can’t help feeling like she’s only successful because of Gabe and the fact that everyone wonders if she slept with him during their interview all those years ago. Now, she’s asked to reteam with him for another interview. They’ve both changed—Gabe is divorced and newly sober after nearly throwing away his whole career, and Chani is divorced and unsure about her writing. With 10 years of missteps, learning, and maturity behind them, could this be their chance for a filmworthy happily-ever-after? In her adult debut, Sussman creates a story that’s thrilling wish fulfillment with a dash of wistful melancholy. Chani’s conflict between getting a good story and getting to know Gabe is understandable, and Gabe feels like a real person even though he’s one of the biggest stars in the world. The conversations between Chani and Gabe sparkle with all the charm of The Philadelphia Story, the movie the two of them initially bond over. And although the romance is top-notch, Chani’s struggle to believe in herself and pursue the kind of writing she cares about is touching, too. From LA to New York to Gabe’s cozy hometown in Montana, Gabe and Chani’s love story is a delight to read.
A slow-burn romance full of passion, yearning, and behind-the-scenes Hollywood details.Pub Date: April 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35732-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dell
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
A surprisingly sensual sports romance.
A collegiate diver and swimmer secretly pursue kink together, and risk falling in love along the way.
Scarlett Vandermeer is struggling. Despite a successful recovery from the injury that almost ended her Stanford diving career, she hasn’t been able to get her head together, and it’s affecting her performance. Plus, she’s trying to stay focused on getting into medical school. A relationship would be out of the question. By comparison, Lukas Blomqvist is a swimming idol, a record-breaker who wins medals as easily as breathing, and Scarlett has long been convinced he would never look in her direction—until one fateful night when a mutual friend lets slip that they have something unexpected in common: Scarlett likes to be submissive in the bedroom, while Lukas prefers to take a dominant approach. Now, they both know a big secret about each other, and it’s something neither of them can stop thinking about. It’s Lukas who suggests they have a fling—purely physical, just to take the edge off, so Scarlett can get out of her own head and stop overthinking her dives. Initially, their arrangement is easy to stick to, but the more time they spend together, the more Scarlett starts to realize that what she feels for Lukas is more than physical attraction. Complicating the situation is the fact that Scarlett’s friend Penelope Ross used to go out with Lukas, and the longer Scarlett keeps mum about her true feelings for him, the more difficult it is to keep the situation hidden from another person she really cares about. While Scarlett and Lukas’ relationship does begin as a physical one, their deeper psychological connection takes a little too long to emerge amid all the other storylines, resulting in a somewhat rushed resolution. However, Hazelwood’s latest is proof of the depth and maturity that has emerged in her writing over the years, and it highlights her embrace of sexier, more emotional elements than were present in her original STEMinist rom-coms.
A surprisingly sensual sports romance.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593641057
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.
Two people with bad luck in relationships find each other through a popular Reddit thread.
Emma Grant and her best friend, Maddy, are travel nurses, working at hospitals for three-month stints while they see the country. Just a few weeks before they’re set to move to Hawaii, Emma reads a popular “Am I the Asshole” Reddit thread from a Minnesota man who thinks he’s cursed—women he dates find their soulmates after breaking up with him, and the latest one found true love with his best friend! Emma has had a similar experience, which inspires her to DM the man and commiserate. She’s delighted by her witty, lively interactions with software engineer Justin Dahl, and is intrigued when he suggests that if they date each other, maybe they’ll each find their soulmate afterward. Emma upends the Hawaii plan and convinces Maddy to move to Minneapolis for the summer so she can meet Justin in person. The overly complex setup brings Emma and Justin together and the two hit it off, with Justin immediately falling head over heels for Emma. Jimenez then pivots to creating romantic roadblocks and melodramatic subplots centering on each character’s family of origin. Justin’s mother is about to serve six years in prison for embezzlement, which means Justin must move back home to care for his three much younger siblings. Emma was traumatized by her own mother for much of her childhood, left to fend for herself and eventually abandoned in the foster system. When her mother shows up in Minnesota, Emma must face her traumatic childhood and admit that she has prioritized her mother’s well-being over her own. There is little time devoted to Emma’s painful efforts to heal herself enough to accept Justin’s love, which leaves the novel feeling unsatisfying.
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781538704431
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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