A fun and heartfelt riff on an endearing ’80s comedy plot.
A series of mishaps unite two unlikely travel companions in this contemporary romance.
Cassidy Bliss is desperate to catch a flight from North Carolina to Los Angeles so she can help her sister, Isabelle, have the wedding of her dreams. The flight schedule is tight, and if Cassidy misses the plane, she risks the disapproval of their mother, Francesca. Just as she reaches the airport, her plan is nearly thwarted by a man who manages to steal her parking place and leave her stranded in the parking garage. That man, Luke Carlisle, works hard to support his unstable mother; his sister, Sophie; and his nieces in Southern California. When Sophie stops answering his questions about their mother, he decides it’s time to visit his family. The last thing he needs is an energetic, redheaded woman accusing him of stealing her parking space. When their plane makes an emergency landing in Joplin, Missouri, and Luke gets the last rental car, he impulsively asks Cassidy to share the drive. As they experience a car fire, train delays, and a drive through the desert, a connection develops between the pair that slowly turns romantic. As they approach their destination and more difficulties pile up, Cassidy and Luke wonder if it may be time to pursue their own happiness. Hart’s latest romance is a spirited, romantic update on the classic John Hughes–penned comedy film Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), featuring endearing protagonists, humorous detours, and plenty of heat. Luke and Cassidy are amiable characters whose rapport and romantic chemistry are consistently believable. In chapters that alternate between Cassidy’s and Luke’s perspectives, Hart deftly lays the foundation for their attraction and limns the family complications that keep them from acting on their feelings. Luke is revealed to be an avid cosplayer, and Hart frequently references his genre-fiction fandom (“Her insistence on getting closer to a burning, explosion-risk of a car is about to become my villain origin story”). Isabelle, Cassidy’s sister who has serious reservations about her pending nuptials, is also a well-drawn character.
A fun and heartfelt riff on an endearing ’80s comedy plot.Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781649373922
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.
In Yarros’ latest romance novel, a young woman hires a handsome but infuriating writer to complete her late great-grandmother’s half-finished book.
After her marriage to a Hollywood producer ends in high-profile divorce, 28-year-old Georgia Stanton returns to her childhood home in Colorado. When she arrives at the house where she was raised by her great-grandma—the famous romance author Scarlett Stanton—she finds her mother, Ava, lying in wait. Georgia is in possession of the only unfinished manuscript that her deceased relative left behind, and her own mom wants her to sell the rights so they can get some cash. Georgia succumbs to the pressure and enters a deal in which another author will finish the book’s second half. The manuscript tells Scarlett’s life story, including how she found, and lost, her one true love. Georgia feels strongly that the finished novel must reflect the true events of Scarlett’s life, as difficult as they may have been. Unfortunately, the publishers hire Noah Harrison, a stubborn writer at the height of his career, who has his own fictional vision for the novel’s ending. As Noah and Georgia butt heads, each of them researches Scarlett’s history in England during World War II. As they learn more about Scarlett and Jameson Stanton, the fighter pilot she loved, Georgia and Noah must navigate their own increasingly complicated relationship. With two equally engrossing storylines, this book will draw in even seasoned romance readers. As the story jumps between past and present, the author also alternates present-day perspectives between Georgia and Noah, moving deftly between her characters’ distinct voices. The relationships are well developed, and the love that Scarlett felt for Jameson is especially palpable. Along with the sweetly romantic themes, the book explores several heftier topics, including personal ambition, grief, family discord, and self-esteem. The story has a few digressions that do little to advance the plot, but the main characters are sufficiently engrossing that readers will want to stick with them to the end.
A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68281-566-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
