An upwardly mobile young Manhattan lawyer and her parents react to the gentrification of their Dominican neighborhood in Natera’s debut novel.
Since her Ivy League education and job in corporate law have already made her an outsider, early signs of gentrification don’t bother Luz, who lives in the (fictional) Nothar Park neighborhood of struggling immigrants with her mother, Eusebia, and policeman father, Vladimir. Then 29-year-old Luz is suddenly laid off by her firm for no apparent cause and begins questioning her identity as a woman-of-color careerist. Meanwhile, after bumping her head in a fall, Eusebia transforms into a determined crusader, organizing Nothar Park neighbors to scare the gentrifiers away by staging arranged crimes. Formerly nurturing Eusebia becomes detached and increasingly resentful as long suppressed grief and grievances surrounding Vladimir’s original decision to move to New York resurface. They swell once she learns that he has secretly been building a retirement home for them back in the Dominican Republic. News that their apartment building is going condo and offering renter buyouts exacerbates the schism in the marriage. Vladimir is thrilled, Eusebia furiously resistant. Caught between her parents, Luz is conflicted, especially since her new lover—White, rich, and entitled but endearingly vulnerable—turns out to be the gentrifying developer. While Luz finds herself increasingly drawn into his privileged orbit, she also discovers unexpectedly meaningful joy using her legal chops gratis to solve her neighbors’ immigration and insurance problems when their involvement in Eusebia’s “crimes” backfires. As Eusebia and Luz engage in a classic mother-daughter battle over control and independence, the juxtaposition of their confused inner lives shapes the plot with unpredictable curves that confound the usual left-right political didactics. Instead, through these women, Natera plays with definitions of home and material and spiritual success, showing how the personal and political can become confused even when a cause, or a crime, seems straightforward.
A savvy melodrama, warmhearted and as astute as a lawyer’s brief.Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35848-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
Categories: LITERARY FICTION | GENERAL FICTION
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A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.
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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
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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SEEN & HEARD
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