An ultimately satisfying tale about adult mean girls.
A woman struggles to find her place in a wealthy community full of social climbing and scandals.
When Melody Howard’s husband, Greg, is offered his dream job in Miami, they pack up their home in Wichita, Kansas, and move to a house zoned for “the best public elementary school in Florida.” The book opens as the family attends back-to-school night at Sunset Academy, and Melody is shocked to discover how different their new community is from the one they’ve left. Their daughter, Lucy, will be entering a school where mothers and children dress in astoundingly expensive (and revealing) designer clothing. Drinking and drugs are rampant among parents, and popularity seems tied to the size of a family’s donations. Initially intimidated by the fancy cars and tummy tucks, Melody is delighted when she makes friends with Darcy Resnick, who seems to share her down-to-earth sensibilities. It’s not long, however, before Charlotte Giordani, one of the queen bees, takes an interest in the new mom, and Melody starts getting caught up in everything she thought she hated. Unfortunately, she makes a misstep and quickly alienates Charlotte. Rather than slink into obscurity, Melody decides to run against Charlotte for PTA president, which will be either her only chance at redemption or the ultimate social suicide. While the story is entertaining from the start, the first several chapters describe the materialism of this Miami community in a tone that’s more angry than funny. The author devotes so much space to mocking the affluent Miamians that by the time the central conflict emerges, readers may have lost interest. Once the plot starts moving, though, the tensions between characters rise and the novel takes on a new heft. Deeper issues related to honesty, loyalty, parenting, and mental health emerge, each of which is examined with admirable grace and just the right touch of humor.
An ultimately satisfying tale about adult mean girls.Pub Date: July 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780063312791
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
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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