True love does not run smooth in this intriguing but uneven romance.
A successful executive agonizes over whether to tell her boyfriend that she suffers from a deadly disease in this topical romance.
When marketing and events whiz Brooklyn Monti begins dating Kai Rahimi, a handsome, divorced stockbroker, she conceals a major part of her life. Brooklyn has Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative illness that killed her birth mother. Raised by loving parents after her birth father put her up for adoption, Brooklyn has additional emotional baggage. Shortly after she was diagnosed with Huntington’s, her college boyfriend, Adam Williamson, attacked her. Despite the fact that Adam, a star football player, never faced major consequences for his abuse, Brooklyn graduated and created a successful event planning company. But she never found love until Kai paid for her coffee at an airport. As her relationship with Kai intensifies, Brooklyn develops loving bonds with his mother and 5-year-old son. But she also faces challenges posed by Kai’s volatile former wife and Adam’s reappearance in her life. Adam threatens to tell Kai about Brooklyn’s diagnosis if she does not participate in a documentary about the athlete. As Brooklyn and Kai approach their one-year dating anniversary, he gives her a key to his house and implores her to be vulnerable with him. Yet Brooklyn remains silent about her illness, even when Adam appears at her workplace and tells her business partners that she has Huntington’s. Will Brooklyn continue to keep her secret from Kai, even if it costs her true happiness? Brooklyn’s struggles to build a romantic relationship while dealing with a life-threatening diagnosis are compelling. But Hutchison’s dialogue is stilted and sometimes cringeworthy. In Brooklyn and Kai’s meet-cute at the airport, Kai seems creepy, not charming, when he comments on her butt and “nice figure” minutes after meeting her. Later he says, without irony: “Give me a chance to show you how a man loves a woman.” The plot also veers into implausibility at several points. Although Adam put Brooklyn on life support with broken bones and nerve damage, it does not appear that he was ever arrested. Brooklyn somehow conceals her Huntington’s from her business partners—and close friends—for seven years even though they observe her slurred speech, facial tics, and twitching limbs. A main character’s body also vanishes without explanation.
True love does not run smooth in this intriguing but uneven romance.Pub Date: July 25, 2022
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Running Wild Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.
A recently dumped librarian finds herself fake dating her polar opposite.
When Daphne Vincent’s fiance, Peter, dumps her, she’s shocked—but the worst part is that he’s leaving her for his gorgeous best friend, Petra, the woman he’d always told Daphne not to worry about. Now Daphne has to move out of Peter’s home and restart her life in the small Michigan town where she’d moved to be with him. Salvation comes in the form of Miles Nowak, Petra’s ex—he has a tiny spare room in his apartment, and he understands what it’s like to wallow in heartbreak. Daphne feels lucky to have her dream job as a children’s librarian, but other than that, she feels adrift and friendless in Waning Bay—and then she and Miles get invitations to Peter and Petra’s wedding. In a momentary lapse of judgment, Daphne not only says she’ll attend the wedding, but tells Peter she’s dating Miles. It would be the perfect way to show Peter and Petra that they’ve moved on…if only it were true. In the grand tradition of fake-dating romances, Daphne and Miles pretend to be in love, getting to know each other while having various adventures and misadventures. Daphne quickly learns that although she’d dismissed Miles as a pothead with a lack of direction, he’s actually a good time—and a loyal friend. But Daphne knows she needs to get out of Waning Bay, so this fake relationship can’t lead anywhere…can it? Reliable bestseller Henry has written another surefire hit that manages to be dramatic, sexy, and fun. Miles and Daphne have chemistry that leaps off the page, and their will-they-or-won’t-they energy propels the story to its satisfying conclusion. Daphne is an immensely likable character, one whose past realistically informs her current relationships. The world of Waning Bay is charmingly quirky, and Daphne’s co-workers at the library are endearing. As always, Henry’s biggest strength is the sharp, often hilarious dialogue that makes the story a joy to read.
Henry fans, rejoice: This is her best yet.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593441282
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
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