A heartwarming story of two lovers learning to move past their fears and commit to a shared future.
A woman returns to her hometown in upstate New York after being unceremoniously dumped by her wife.
Julia Pierce moved to New York City after a whirlwind courtship and marriage in her early 20s. Eight years later, she has no choice but to return home after her wife leaves her for a personal trainer. Although Julia worked on and off throughout her marriage, she now realizes how eagerly she sacrificed her own goals and dreams to make her wife happy. Once back in town, Julia meets up with old classmate Taylor Winslow, not realizing Taylor had a crush on her back in high school. Taylor lives simply, woodworking and making custom furniture that she sells throughout New England. Julia and Taylor have different relationship goals, so they ignore their chemistry and strike up a tentative friendship. Julia is determined to get back into the dating game and enjoy a few casual flings; Taylor is more interested in a committed, long-term relationship. Rey carefully develops a believable and poignant story arc for Julia. She realizes that even though her divorce was painful and humiliating, the real tragedy was losing her sense of her own identity and ambition. After Taylor asks Julia to help photograph a local wedding, Julia realizes she has a talent for photography. Taylor’s arc is more subtle but is still deftly handled. She is confident in her work and place in the world, but as her friendship with Julia slowly evolves into love, she's afraid to fully reveal her feelings. The romance is satisfying and full-bodied, with each character learning how to achieve her own goals and still be part of a couple.
A heartwarming story of two lovers learning to move past their fears and commit to a shared future.Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63555-574-5
Page Count: 314
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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
Readers will devour this swoonworthy romance in one sitting.
Two talented chess players challenge each other on and off the board in bestselling author Hazelwood’s YA debut.
Eighteen-year-old Mallory Greenleaf is no longer interested in chess, not since her hypercompetitive dad left—the game calls up painful memories. But she grudgingly agrees to play in a charity tournament as a favor to best friend Easton Peña. After she unexpectedly beats current world champion Nolan Sawyer, she’s offered a fellowship that will prepare her to play professionally. Even though Mallory doesn’t want to play anymore, she needs the money that winning would provide; she’s delayed college to support her family, since her mother is chronically ill with rheumatoid arthritis and is unable to work regularly. The more time she spends with Nolan, the more Mallory comes to like and respect him—and the more time she spends playing chess, the more she remembers how much she loved it. But when she learns that Nolan has been keeping a big secret from her, she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to move past it to build a relationship with him. Filled with the author’s signature humor, well-developed characters, and realistic conflicts, plus the fully realized setting of competitive chess, this captivating romance will delight teen readers as well as Hazelwood’s adult fans. Mallory and Nolan are both cued white; there is some racial diversity among the supporting cast. Mallory and Easton are queer.
Readers will devour this swoonworthy romance in one sitting. (author’s note) (Romance. 14-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780593619919
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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