A poignant, hopeful look at how the past informs the present and future.
In this second-chance romance, a woman revisits old traumas—and the one who got away.
Andrea Scott has it together—mostly. The 28-year-old New Yorker works in marketing; is close with her mother and her best friends, Emma and Charlie Loughlin; and has fabulous sex with a man named Harry Stengel. But Andi’s job is unfulfilling, and Harry happens to be her boss and also married. When Andi receives a phone call that her estranged father, Ryan, has died, she’s forced to face the past she left behind. During her junior year of high school, Andi moved in with her dad while her mother took a temporary position overseas, and the teen soon became a victim of Ryan’s alcoholism and resulting abusive behavior. Andi got through the tumultuous year thanks to loyal new pal Krystal Rivera and handsome football player Corey Johnson, whose friendship with Andi soon turned into a passionate romance. Andi and Corey were prepared to be together forever until a series of betrayals during their freshman year of college led to a heavy breakup, and they haven’t spoken since. When Andi returns to her dad’s suburban hometown of Fairford, she discovers that he’d been sober for many years prior to his death. He started a successful home design business with Corey, now a single dad who’s still carrying a torch for Andi. Can Andi reconcile her painful family history and make her way to a bright, new beginning? (Corey had “always been a balm for my soul.”) Or is the past too much to overcome? Alternating the chapters between Andi’s life-changing high school years and her current reality, Dembowski crafts a lovely, sympathetic hero, realistically flawed due in large part to the trauma she experienced as a young person. The plot is carefully woven, dropping breadcrumbs to a satisfying final reveal where no individual is at fault. Though everyone’s actions have consequences, a happily-ever-after may still be on the horizon. Andi and Corey are a believable couple whose teenage chemistry has the potential to translate into a strong adult relationship, but only if both are willing to work on it.
A poignant, hopeful look at how the past informs the present and future.Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-948051-97-2
Page Count: 294
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.
Two people with bad luck in relationships find each other through a popular Reddit thread.
Emma Grant and her best friend, Maddy, are travel nurses, working at hospitals for three-month stints while they see the country. Just a few weeks before they’re set to move to Hawaii, Emma reads a popular “Am I the Asshole” Reddit thread from a Minnesota man who thinks he’s cursed—women he dates find their soulmates after breaking up with him, and the latest one found true love with his best friend! Emma has had a similar experience, which inspires her to DM the man and commiserate. She’s delighted by her witty, lively interactions with software engineer Justin Dahl, and is intrigued when he suggests that if they date each other, maybe they’ll each find their soulmate afterward. Emma upends the Hawaii plan and convinces Maddy to move to Minneapolis for the summer so she can meet Justin in person. The overly complex setup brings Emma and Justin together and the two hit it off, with Justin immediately falling head over heels for Emma. Jimenez then pivots to creating romantic roadblocks and melodramatic subplots centering on each character’s family of origin. Justin’s mother is about to serve six years in prison for embezzlement, which means Justin must move back home to care for his three much younger siblings. Emma was traumatized by her own mother for much of her childhood, left to fend for herself and eventually abandoned in the foster system. When her mother shows up in Minnesota, Emma must face her traumatic childhood and admit that she has prioritized her mother’s well-being over her own. There is little time devoted to Emma’s painful efforts to heal herself enough to accept Justin’s love, which leaves the novel feeling unsatisfying.
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781538704431
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.
Exes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation.
Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple—until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. So they keep it a secret from their friends and families—in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place—the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer. But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. Telling the truth about their breakup is out of the question, because the cottage is up for sale, and this is the group’s last hurrah. Determined to make sure everyone has the perfect last trip, Harriet and Wyn resolve to fake their relationship for the week. The problem with this plan, of course, is that Harriet still has major feelings for Wyn—feelings that only get stronger as they pretend to be blissfully in love. As always, Henry’s dialogue is sparkling and the banter between characters is snappy and hilarious. Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, shown both in the past and the present, feels achingly real. Their breakup, as well as their complicated relationships with their own families, adds a twinge of melancholy, as do the relatable growing pains of a group of friends whose lives are taking them in different directions.
A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593441275
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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