This frothy, made-for-summer read earns its place poolside.
At Little Bridge Island’s first annual literary festival, the attending authors create enough drama to fill several novels.
Jo Wright, author of popular children’s book series Kitty Katz, Kitten Sitter, is not feeling as perfectly “pawsitive” as her plucky feline heroine. She’s been dealing with terrible writer’s block ever since Will Price, author of several supersuccessful maudlin romances, bad-mouthed her books to a reporter from the New York Times. Now prone to wearing all black and embracing a less-than-sunny approach to life, Jo is way behind on her deadline for Kitty Katz No. 27 and in need of funds to move her ailing father out of New York City and to a warmer climate. So, when Jo receives an unexpected invitation—complete with $10,000 stipend—to the Florida Keys for Little Bridge Island’s first literary festival, she can’t really justify turning it down. There’s only one downside: Will Price is not only attending the festival, but he’s also its largest donor. Jo, along with a zany cast including magician/fantasy author Garrett Newcombe and her best friend, YA novelist Bernadette Zhang, are all charmed by the island’s hospitality and the festival’s fancy events. But when Jo and Will’s past animosity seeps into the present and unsavory rumors come to a head, Little Bridge finds itself in the eye of a “purr-fect” storm. This third trip to Little Bridge—following No Judgments (2019) and No Offense (2020)—puts Cabot’s trademark wit and vibrant characters on full display. While some key facets of the plot are underdeveloped—the explanation for Will’s unsavory behavior is unsatisfactory, as is Jo’s extreme reaction to it—the charming small-town setting, intriguing hate-to-love romance, and authentic look behind the scenes of a literary get-together make for a winning combination.
This frothy, made-for-summer read earns its place poolside.Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-308225-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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: Feb. 15, 2025
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