A chaotic protagonist drives a funny, if flawed, romance.
A Washington, D.C.–based pansexual attorney and fledgling comedian decides to impregnate herself in this romantic comedy.
Gynecologist Dr. Nicholas Allen recommends that 34-year-old lawyer Mila Torres “think about freezing [her] eggs.” She wants to conceive a child on her own terms, but she isn’t jazzed about the $1,200 price tag for donor sperm. Mila’s best friend, Isa Reyes, suggests Baby Bank, which is “like Tinder, but for free sperm.” If Mila can swipe past all the “Natural insemination only” profiles, maybe she can become a single mother, like hers was. When she’s not doing stand-up comedy, Mila struggles ethically with her clientele—powerful men like U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, who want “to divorce their wives and not pay a dime for it. Except to me.” A determined lead reporter for the Washington Times, Arielle “Ari” Elliot, is determined to take Sen. Murphy down—with Mila’s help. These two plotlines converge when Mila realizes that the man she met on Baby Bank is Ari’s brother. Exploring the intimacy between a journalist and her source is an intriguing angle for a romance, and Robinson tackles it deftly, showing readers how high the stakes are for Mila and how seriously Ari takes her promise not to reveal Mila’s identity. The romantic and sexual feelings that electrify their conversations enhance later scenes. Mila’s relationship with her mother, Chicky Torres, is also complicated, as Chicky “never wanted [Mila] to make the ‘mistakes’ she had made,” even though Mila doesn’t see them as mistakes. Later, Mila becomes an expectant mother caught between providing for her child financially and doing the ethical thing. However, readers will find that she often struggles with sensible decision-making; at one point, she laments that “The timing of all of this—of the baby, the job—it’s not ideal,” even though she had complete control over her pregnancy and was aware of the Murphy debacle beforehand. Other minor plot holes may also distract readers; for example, Chicky is described as “a nineteen-year-old pregnant college drop-out” and as being “twenty years old when she conceived.”
A chaotic protagonist drives a funny, if flawed, romance.Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781088029619
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Books by Sarah Robinson
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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
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