A true-blue rom-com, perfect for readers wanting a contemporary Jane Austen or Helen Fielding novel.
Rachel Weiss has a group chat: hilarity ensues.
Rachel can never let a noteworthy update escape the group chat. From hot-yoga blackouts to hot guys wearing loafers without socks, Rachel and her friends Eva, Sumira, and Amy lay it all out over text. Out of the four girls, Rachel is by far the chattiest of the chat—but why wouldn’t she be? Rachel’s mom is on a constant warpath, urging her second-eldest daughter to find a husband before she turns an elderly 30, and her most recent fling only wants a physical relationship though he’s not even that good in bed. To top it off, the billionaire tech whiz who bought the house next door to her parents for his parents, a Mr. Christopher Butkus, has a bad habit of showing up during all of Rachel’s most embarrassing moments. Yet, she can’t help but notice that her relationship clock is ticking, and friends with benefits isn’t really her style. It doesn’t help that her mother flags Christopher as the potential husband of the year, and though Rachel can’t help but find his CEO status off-putting, she constantly finds herself thinking about him. But amid all of her own gossip to spill, the group chat erupts into chaos. Amy and her husband haven’t slept together in a month, Eva can’t seem to find the “one,” and Sumira’s been practically MIA. In spite of all her gabbing, it’s time for Rachel to lend a listening ear, rally her friends, and find her happily-ever-after…with plenty of shenanigans to spare. In Applebaum’s laugh-out-loud romance, Rachel bears a charming similarity to that quirky British heroine Bridget Jones. Rachel is confident, loud, and boisterous, and despite her lack of self-awareness and knack for causing a scene, readers will need to know what nonsense she’ll get up to next. The star of the show, however, is Rachel’s tightknit friend group: You’ll come for Darcy, but you’ll stay for the Charlottes.
A true-blue rom-com, perfect for readers wanting a contemporary Jane Austen or Helen Fielding novel.Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781538757840
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 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
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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