A contemporary poetic novel for audiences who love strong female characters.
A poet breaks free from her past experiences in Parrish’s novel.
Sam is a 30-something poet finally pursuing the college degree she promised herself she would earn, but the experience lacks luster. Her new boyfriend, Steven, a professor from her program, has a research grant to go to Boston; moving there seems like a promising new start and a way to gain clarity about what she wants to do with her life, but Sam keeps getting dragged back into her past. Her alcoholic ex-boyfriend Timothy is still a fixture, as are the memories of a difficult childhood spent living under the eye of her abusive grandmother that keep threatening to surface. In Boston, Sam finds her creative need to write poetry comes second to Steven’s work; she finds solace in new friend Martin Alistair, son of legendary feminist publisher Edith Alistair. Sam reads Edith’s diaries about her publishing house—part of Steven’s research that he seems surprised she is fascinated by—while simultaneously writing poetry. From the novel’s opening line (“Happiness was a shock. So was knowing she belonged”), Parrish writes lyrically, conveying the creativity of her heroine while also displaying her own skill as a published poet. This is particularly evident as Sam works through a recurring motif of her childhood trauma, turning a terrible memory into an affecting poem. Though both Timothy and Steven feature heavily in the story (occasionally, it feels a little unclear as to whether they are meant to present a love triangle for Sam), the most compelling aspect of the narrative is the central character’s journey as she finds her footing and truly addresses her own needs. Readers will find themselves rooting for Sam, a woman in her 30s, as if this is her coming-of-age tale.
A contemporary poetic novel for audiences who love strong female characters.Pub Date: June 20, 2025
ISBN: 9781963115970
Page Count: 270
Publisher: Unsolicited Press
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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