A slow start evolves into a pleasing paranormal story.
A podcaster searches for an informant who's gone missing under mysterious circumstances.
Talia March, Pallas Llewellyn, and Amelia Rivers suspect that seven months ago, they were victims of an experiment designed to enhance their innate paranormal abilities—Talia, for instance, can now find hidden or lost objects, including dead bodies. Now the three friends co-host a popular podcast that investigates paranormal mysteries. When a devoted listener named Phoebe Hatch offers to sell them a list of possible subjects for the experiment they think they were part of, Talia heads off to Seattle to meet her. When she arrives at the designated spot, though, she discovers Luke Rand, another potential buyer, but no Phoebe. Luke believes he was part of a related experiment, with the goal of creating psychic assassins. Phoebe is missing, but Luke and Talia find several clues that point them to the Night Island, an exclusive getaway in the San Juans that promises meditation and a full digital detox. Determined to find the missing list and rescue Phoebe, they decide to go to the Night Island, posing as a married couple. The early chapters are overburdened with too much exposition, but the plot picks up once Talia and Luke arrive on the island, where the bioluminescent plants give off a strange, menacing energy. Krentz successfully leverages the creepy, isolated setting. A bout of bad weather postpones the daily ferry service, and the island is cut off from civilization with no cell service or Wi-Fi. The staff is curt and unwelcoming, and when several of them die under mysterious circumstances, there's no way to call for help. The guests are desperate to escape the murderous island even as the flora and fauna seem to become imbued with more power and energy. Talia and Luke continue their search for Phoebe and investigate the murders, even as their pretend relationship turns into a real romance.
A slow start evolves into a pleasing paranormal story.Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780593639856
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Sept. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
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
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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