A bighearted novel of yearning and human decency.
A gay medical student juggles the needs of his partner, family members, friends, and former lovers while trying to find his own path in Yeh’s sequel to A Boy at the Edge of the World (2018).
Daniel Garneau, the narrator, is in medical school, although readers rarely see that part of his life. His partner, David Gallucci, is a bicycle mechanic and a creative, thoughtful soul who comes from a family steeped in culture; his Italian Catholic mother, Isabella de Luca, is a well-known art critic and writer. The action kicks off when David’s estranged sibling, a trans man named Luke, shows up at the couple’s front door. David and Luke’s mother has no idea that one of her sons is gay and the other trans, although a family reunion is on the horizon. Meanwhile, Daniel is trying to integrate his seemingly stable relationship with David into a social life bursting with friends and several significant exes. Before David heads to Italy for two months on a family trip, the couple decides that their relationship will be “open” during that time—an idea that feels “weird” to Daniel. Yeh’s cosmopolitan and sexy novel is mainly plot-driven, but it gives the 20-something central couple enough nuance to make their relationships worth exploring. The narrative is brisk with occasionally abrupt scene shifts, but the characters are consistently appealing in their searches for love and purpose. Parties, rendezvous, and cabaret visits unfold in Toronto, although the Italian vacation might change everything for Daniel and David. The large, multiethnic, and sexually fluid cast of characters is emotionally generous with one another, and they grow and change in authentic ways. Daniel’s sensibility as he learns how relationships can morph and still hold is particularly well rendered. Some may find it tempting to compare the novel to Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series, but Yeh’s theme of “love and ridiculous gratitude” for this “entire ephemeral life” stands as its own beautiful creation.
A bighearted novel of yearning and human decency.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 9781771835411
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Guernica Editions
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism.
Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love.
Bree is a friendly but standoffish bookstore owner who keeps everyone she knows at arm’s length, from guys she meets in bars to her friends. Mikki is a settled-in-her-routines divorced mother of two, happily a mom, gift-shop owner, and co-parent with her ex-husband, Perry. And Ashley is a young, very-much-in-love bakery owner specializing in muffins who devotes herself to giving back to the community through a nonprofit that helps community members develop skills and find jobs. When the women meet drooling over a boardwalk storefront that none of them can afford on her own, a plan is hatched to divide the space in three, and a friendship—and business partnership—is born. An impromptu celebration on the beach at sunset with champagne becomes a weekly touchpoint to their lives as they learn more about each other and themselves. Their friendship blossoms as they help each other, offering support, hard truths, and loving backup. Author Mallery has created a delightful story of friendship between three women that also offers a variety of love stories as they fall in love, make mistakes, and figure out how to be the best—albeit still flawed—versions of themselves. The men are similarly flawed and human. While the story comes down clearly on the side of all-encompassing love, Mallery has struck a careful balance: There is just enough sex to be spicy, just enough swearing to be naughty, and just enough heartbreak to avoid being cloying.
A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism.Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-778-38608-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
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