A fun, if minimally dramatic, tale of human and animal bonding.
A man, a dog, and a kitten come together in Bellringer’s playful novella.
Luke Garrick is a builder by trade who likes to take his rescue dog Buddy to the local beach; Buddy gets his kicks chasing after seagulls. One day, there is a surprise: Buddy comes across a kitten among the dunes. The kitten, whose name is Freddie and looks as “if he’d been out for a night or two on his own,” comes with a phone number. He belongs to the Jones family, and though it seems like it would great fun to keep him, he must be returned. The Jones household is, however, not the ideal place for a cat—the family consists of two unruly young children and their indifferent-seeming mother. The place is messy when Luke arrives, and the children do not even properly thank Luke for bringing back their pet. To make matters worse, when Freddie is handed over, he shivers. Luke starts to wonder if Freddie might be happier elsewhere…perhaps with him and Buddy. It’s certainly an idea that Buddy seems to approve of. The text is brief at fewer than 60 pages, and the story moves quickly. The focus is on the bond these three creatures share; it feels authentic, evidenced by the way Luke enjoys watching Buddy run on the beach and how Buddy is immediately protective of his new friend, Freddie. The narrative is light on conflict—at one point it seems as though Luke might be in trouble for bringing Buddy to work, but it turns out the boss loves dogs (he may just be “Buddy’s biggest fan”). The Jones family does sound an odd note, but readers never learn all that much about them. The ending proves pleasant for man, dog, and kitten alike.
A fun, if minimally dramatic, tale of human and animal bonding.Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2022
ISBN: 9781035803569
Page Count: 54
Publisher: Austin Macauley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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