The second-chance romance is overshadowed by a hearty dose of action and adventure.
A staid accountant is swept into a night of adventure after a mysterious inheritance.
Mira Patel grew up in a family of low-level Las Vegas grifters. Desperate to leave that part of her life behind, she moved to Los Angeles at 18 and has been on a straight and narrow path ever since. Now 35, Mira is unlucky in love even though she's a client of the most exclusive Indian matchmaker in the city. After learning of her aunt Rhea’s sudden death, Mira is shocked to discover that her aunt’s lawyer is Naveen Desai, the ex-boyfriend she unceremoniously dumped a few years earlier. Naveen has moved on since Mira, leaving his big corporate job behind to help keep his grandfather’s small law firm afloat. As part of the will, Mira receives a cryptic note and a familiar key. As she leaves his office, Mira and Naveen are kidnapped at gunpoint and transported to Las Vegas. The bad guys think Mira knows the location of a priceless diamond necklace her father stole. When Naveen and Mira escape and follow the clues from her aunt’s will, they unlock an epic one-night adventure. Naveen has always been bitter about how Mira left him, but as the night goes on, he learns why she was afraid of their intense chemistry. Meanwhile, Mira learns that hiding her real self is preventing her from finding a true partner. Naveen and Mira’s perfunctory romance takes a back seat to their search for the necklace. They eventually drift back into a relationship, but it feels underdeveloped compared to the high-energy escapades that drive the rest of the story.
The second-chance romance is overshadowed by a hearty dose of action and adventure.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-321273-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.
Exes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation.
Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple—until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. So they keep it a secret from their friends and families—in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place—the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer. But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. Telling the truth about their breakup is out of the question, because the cottage is up for sale, and this is the group’s last hurrah. Determined to make sure everyone has the perfect last trip, Harriet and Wyn resolve to fake their relationship for the week. The problem with this plan, of course, is that Harriet still has major feelings for Wyn—feelings that only get stronger as they pretend to be blissfully in love. As always, Henry’s dialogue is sparkling and the banter between characters is snappy and hilarious. Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, shown both in the past and the present, feels achingly real. Their breakup, as well as their complicated relationships with their own families, adds a twinge of melancholy, as do the relatable growing pains of a group of friends whose lives are taking them in different directions.
A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593441275
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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