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 wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.
Two people with bad luck in relationships find each other through a popular Reddit thread.
Emma Grant and her best friend, Maddy, are travel nurses, working at hospitals for three-month stints while they see the country. Just a few weeks before they’re set to move to Hawaii, Emma reads a popular “Am I the Asshole” Reddit thread from a Minnesota man who thinks he’s cursed—women he dates find their soulmates after breaking up with him, and the latest one found true love with his best friend! Emma has had a similar experience, which inspires her to DM the man and commiserate. She’s delighted by her witty, lively interactions with software engineer Justin Dahl, and is intrigued when he suggests that if they date each other, maybe they’ll each find their soulmate afterward. Emma upends the Hawaii plan and convinces Maddy to move to Minneapolis for the summer so she can meet Justin in person. The overly complex setup brings Emma and Justin together and the two hit it off, with Justin immediately falling head over heels for Emma. Jimenez then pivots to creating romantic roadblocks and melodramatic subplots centering on each character’s family of origin. Justin’s mother is about to serve six years in prison for embezzlement, which means Justin must move back home to care for his three much younger siblings. Emma was traumatized by her own mother for much of her childhood, left to fend for herself and eventually abandoned in the foster system. When her mother shows up in Minnesota, Emma must face her traumatic childhood and admit that she has prioritized her mother’s well-being over her own. There is little time devoted to Emma’s painful efforts to heal herself enough to accept Justin’s love, which leaves the novel feeling unsatisfying.
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781538704431
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
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