A moving tale of grief and second-chance love, without any hints of typical rom-com levity.
A publicist is forced to confront her past when she discovers her new client is an old fling.
Andie’s first day at her new publishing gig in New York really didn’t go as planned. First, after she found out that she’d be working with one of the company’s top authors, she dropped an f-bomb in a meeting with her boss. Jack Carlson is a handsome young historian transitioning into fiction writing, and he’s also Andie’s ex. Andie and Jack met while studying at the University of Edinburgh, and it’s a time Andie does not look back on fondly. It’s been five years since Andie allowed herself to remember the terrible events that unfolded with Jack, along with the heart-wrenching and unexpected death of her father, half a decade since she’s effectively addressed her grief and anger…and she isn’t going to start now. Unfortunately, she and Jack will be stuck together for a month as she accompanies him on his book tour through the U.S. and Europe, and it’s Andie’s responsibility to make sure everything runs smoothly. It doesn’t help that Jack is charming and beloved by fans and booksellers alike, and that he desperately wishes to make amends. Initially, Andie is successful at keeping Jack at arm’s length, but soon enough, she begins to remember why she fell for him in the first place. Can Andie keep the past where it belongs, or will her repressed feelings threaten to destroy her career and new beginning with Jack? Gillam’s debut rom-com explores grief and second chances, set in an appealing European landscape and an industry that will appeal to bibliophiles. The book delves deeply into the way Andie deals with the loss of a loved one, betrayal, and a seemingly unresolved depression. Readers may be a bit hard-pressed to find the comedy in this rom-com, but will instead find a protagonist grappling with years of suppressed emotions as she rediscovers her purpose.
A moving tale of grief and second-chance love, without any hints of typical rom-com levity.Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780143138600
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Penguin
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.
A happily engaged woman is pulled back to her hometown—and her first love—when tragedy strikes.
Billie Wright is living her dream, running a thriving fertility clinic in New York City and engaged to a wonderful trauma surgeon named Dean. Her happily-ever-after meant giving up her life in Wisconsin, where she left behind many friends as well as her high school sweetheart, Mick. Although they’d been deeply in love, when Billie’s ambition pulled her away from home and toward the city, Mick couldn’t handle either the distance or her busy schedule. Billie has finally moved on from that heartbreak—but then she receives a phone call from Mick, the first communication between them in years. Her best friend, Erin, died in a car accident, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Now Billie must return home to help sort Erin’s affairs and provide some kind of comfort to Phoebe while grieving the loss of her best friend. Of course, being back home also means being in close contact with Mick. Their feelings for each other may not have ever gone away, and their proximity leads to big decisions for Billie. Can she ever reconcile her current life in Manhattan with her past in Wisconsin? And which one will be her future? Giffin knows how to do drama, and she ratchets up the stakes with every page as she continues to reveal new obstacles for Billie. The ending wraps up quite neatly, but the nostalgia-filled ride is full of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages.
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780593600320
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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