A passionate and empathetic story of how relationships define a person and a love that was meant to be.
A wedding in Nigeria reunites high school sweethearts, giving them a second chance at love.
Twelve years ago, Dunni left Nigeria to attend college in America. Even though her mother viciously disapproved of her relationship with her boyfriend, Obinna, Dunni had plans for the future with him, and he was meant to join her as soon as possible. Instead, he completely ghosted her. Now, Dunni lives in Seattle, where she works as a geneticist and is engaged to a man she knows she doesn’t love but who has her mother’s approval. She hesitantly travels back home to Lagos for a friend’s wedding, where it turns out Obinna is also a guest. Their chemistry hasn’t waned at all, but if there’s to be a future for them now, they first have to confront the past. Igharo’s lush storytelling takes readers on an emotional roller coaster. Told through alternating timelines that focus on Dunni in the present and Obinna in the past, this beautifully crafted, heart-achingly romantic tale plays with juxtapositions—poor and rich; superstition, religion, and science—and the ways they twine together. Family ties are essential to the characterization of the leads, and these relationships are insightfully and thoughtfully explored. The realistically flawed characters make mistakes, and there are consequences but also forgiveness. The story doesn’t shy away from heavy situations and hurtful relationships, but at its core it’s about how incredible support and love can be.
A passionate and empathetic story of how relationships define a person and a love that was meant to be.Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-44023-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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: yesterday
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