by Jamie Wesley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 19, 2024
A sweet romance with a very slow burn.
A football player who owns a cupcake shop unexpectedly goes viral and deals with complicated feelings for his best friend’s sister.
August Hodges may be a football star, but he’s happy to stay behind the scenes when it comes to Sugar Blitz, the cupcake shop he runs with Donovan Dell and Nicholas Connors, his best friends and fellow football players. But when he’s caught on camera defending cupcakes and women and the appropriateness of football players owning a bakery to some sexist bros, that all changes. Unsurprisingly, women love a football player with a feminist side. Now, he’s known as SugarBae, and he can’t escape the crowds that come into the shop to meet him. With Sugar Blitz opening a new location, August’s partners know they need to capitalize on his 15 minutes of fame, so Donovan wants to hire his little sister, Sloane Dell, to manage their social media. What Donovan doesn’t know is that August and Sloane have a complicated romantic past that led to a broken heart for Sloane; she has no intention of spending her work hours around August, or riding her brother’s coattails, but spearheading a social media campaign for an up-and-coming company could help her get the job of her dreams. She agrees to help out, which means she’s now spending lots of time taking videos of August—and realizing that her feelings for him never really went away. The more time they spend together, the harder it is for them to deny their feelings for each other, but they’ll have to figure out if they’re ready to be vulnerable enough to take a second shot at love. August is a picture-perfect romantic hero—a football player who owns a cupcake shop and is secure in his masculinity. The obstacles in Sloane and August’s way never feel insurmountable, though—there’s a gentrification plot line, in particular, that feels underbaked—and their journey toward a happily-ever-after doesn’t always feel urgent.
A sweet romance with a very slow burn.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781250801876
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
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BOOK REVIEW
by Jamie Wesley
by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 18, 2022
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
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IndieBound Bestseller
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
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SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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New York Times Bestseller
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
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SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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