A combination of poignant and heartwarming, this is a quirky love story you won’t forget.
A bubbly Texan with a tragic past and a shy Irish mortician become unlikely friends in Fairbanks’ charming romance.
When Dolly Parton–loving, pink cowboy boots–wearing Lark Thompson arrives in Galway for an animation gig, the last thing she expects to find is a pile of black body bags mistakenly sent to her apartment. It’s not enough that the loss of her husband follows her everywhere—grief had to live right next door. The body bags belong to Lark’s neighbor Callum Flannelly, the local mortician. A sheepish Irishman with a slight stutter, Callum isn’t your stereotypical undertaker: He’s tall, rugged, and quite hospitable despite his vocation. Not one to be a stranger, Lark makes herself at home as Callum’s friendly neighbor. After all, she needs some form of distraction to avoid the massive guilt she still harbors in connection to Reese’s death. Soon enough, Lark learns that she isn’t the only one battling demons. Callum is at risk of losing his funeral home, Willow Haven, if he doesn’t secure an heir to carry on the family business. According to his granda’s will, Callum has six months to find a wife—or his estranged father will be able take over Willow Haven for good. When Lark learns of Callum’s predicament, she finds it the perfect distraction for her. But as Lark sets Callum up on demi-romantic dates and coaches him through his social anxieties, he can’t help but notice that he never wants their time together to end. Can Lark be the girl Callum was waiting for, or is she steadfast in her vow to never marry again, lest she risk another heartbreak? This is a unique take on a second-chance romance; after all, it’s a love story that’s largely about death. Lark and Callum are patient with one another, with a mutual understanding that’s touching and satisfying. Readers will be hard-pressed not to swoon over the lovably gruff Callum, and the slow-burn passion and adorable flirting make for a perfect cozy read.
A combination of poignant and heartwarming, this is a quirky love story you won’t forget.Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9780593851869
Page Count: 356
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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
Deeply moving and emotional.
A hockey player falls in love with his tutor.
Matt “Freddy” Fredderic is the life of the party at Waterfell University. He’s a starter on the hockey team and can have any girl on campus—but he’s also in danger of failing out if he can’t improve his grades in math and biology. His ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia make him eligible for university tutoring services, and Ro Shariff is his newly assigned tutor. Ro had a crush on Freddy freshman year but convinced herself that she’s over it now, in her senior year. She’s been in an on-again, off-again relationship with a guy named Tyler for the past two years, but he’s manipulative, borderline abusive, and probably cheating on her. Ro is desperate for love and affection and still suffers from bouts of intense homesickness. She and Freddy develop a tentative friendship even though they couldn’t be more different on the surface—he’s a popular, gregarious athlete to her quiet, introverted academic. Ro sees beyond Freddy’s persona as a dumb jock, while he recognizes that she feels lonely and like an outsider. When Freddy swoops in to rescue Ro after an ugly disagreement with Tyler, the two admit that their feelings for each other are more romantic than friendly. Corinne’s second novel is an emotional powerhouse. Ro and Freddy share everything with each other: fears of not being good enough for their friends, details of their harmful previous romantic relationships, and the deep feelings of grief related to illness and loss of parents. They have to learn to trust themselves and each other in the midst of the pressures that come with transitioning from college to adulthood. Their evolution from friends to lovers is a classic slow burn, and it makes for an angsty and deeply affecting read.
Deeply moving and emotional.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781668068489
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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