Romantic comedy fans will be delighted by this fun story about relationships and suburban living.
A young woman in the midst of a nasty divorce inherits a dilapidated house and decides to try her luck living in a new town in this novel.
Thirty-five-year-old Mallory Martin Bach has hit rock bottom. As a result of her soon-to-be-ex husband’s adulterous behavior, she’s lost not only her marriage, but also her home and even her job. Making matters worse, Mallory’s favorite aunt, the only family member who really understood her, has just died. The book opens with the reading of the will and the bombshell that Aunt Maggie has bequeathed her large house to Mallory. With few other options, Mallory decides to leave Manhattan and try living in suburban Huckleberry Hills, New Jersey. When she arrives in the neat and tidy neighborhood, she finds her new house is barely habitable. In addition to the many structural repairs the home requires, every room is filled to the brim with evidence that Maggie suffered from an extreme hoarding obsession. As Mallory begins the onerous process of clearing out the house, she meets the bossy but handsome neighbor across the street, Nick Holloway, whom she finds as enticing as he is infuriating. As Nick begins to prove himself rather helpful, she warms to him. The only problem is that Mallory has already promised herself she will never become reliant on another man. When it feels like Nick is starting to get too close, Mallory has to decide what she really wants out of her new life. Told entirely from Mallory’s perspective, the narrative displays a quirky, conversational tone that is consistent throughout. Full of witty banter, flirtatious glances, and sexy smirks, the interactions between the characters are lively and engaging. Despite the light tone of the prose, the novel deals with weighty topics, including emotionally abusive relationships, mental health, aging relatives, and self-doubt. At the same time, the story also highlights many of the ridiculous aspects of suburban living with humor and sass. From nonsensical housing association rules to the jewelry parties that occupy young mothers, Wolff and Flynn don’t miss an opportunity to poke fun at the burbs. Although the trajectory of the tale is predictable, the journey to its inevitable conclusion is solidly entertaining.
Romantic comedy fans will be delighted by this fun story about relationships and suburban living.Pub Date: March 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68281-569-4
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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