A heartfelt love story that blends personal struggles with the challenges of a tumultuous era.
In Winkler’s novel, a young Californian gets a second chance at love after a life-changing diagnosis.
It’s early 2020, and 31-year-old model and influencer Liv Mathers is cancer-free for the first time in three years. She celebrates with her friends at LA’s most exclusive nightclub, and sparks fly when she meets the owner, Damon Lautner. Both are scarred by past heartbreaks, but they find they have an undeniable connection during a coffee date; the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic brings them closer when Damon invites Liv to move in with him. She’s hesitant to accept—and even more concerned about her vulnerable immune system—so she agrees on a temporary basis, only to fall hard for her new roommate in the months that follow. Together, the pair navigate multiple obstacles: caring for Damon’s estranged stepson with a rebellious streak; managing tensions with Liv’s mother and her new conservative boyfriend; and later confronting a much larger challenge, which could change everything. Their relationship is the emotional core of the novel. Damon emerges as an almost impossibly generous and noble figure, which will certainly endear him to readers, but it also flattens his character, especially when undercut by the couple’s seemingly ceaseless declarations of love. The story veers into melodrama at times, but readers who are drawn to unapologetically emotional romances will likely embrace it. Also, the prose is earnest and accessible, with a steady pace that lets weighty themes land without overwhelming the romance. In fact, the book’s greatest strength is its ability to weave together such charged issues, from the sociopolitical fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic (“It’s like Covid has caused a civil war,” Liv notes at one point) and the reckoning sparked by George Floyd’s murder to the widening rifts between liberals and conservatives, even within families. Liv and Damon’s love is set against a backdrop of cultural upheaval, and although not every thread is fully developed, the narrative effectively suggests a path forward by showing people with different views supporting each other in times of need.
A heartfelt love story that blends personal struggles with the challenges of a tumultuous era.Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781644285206
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Rare Bird Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.
A marriage on the rocks gets a second chance—with a science-fiction twist.
Dr. Emery Martín is happily married to her husband Luca…mostly. She’s been madly in love with him since the moment they met, but in the three years they’ve been wed, she hasn’t been able to focus much on him. To the world—including Luca—Emery’s job involves developing medical-grade lasers. In reality, she works at a supersecret San Diego lab that’s engineering a compound to bring mammals back from the dead. Although Emery doesn’t want to admit it, she can tell that Luca feels pushed aside, but she believes so deeply in her work that she has a hard time leaving the lab. When Emery is late for dinner—yet again—on their anniversary, she rushes home only to see Luca get hit by a car. She has the secret compound in her car, and she knows she could get in major trouble if she uses it—but what’s she supposed to do, not save her husband’s life? The compound has only been tested on animals so far, and there’s no guarantee it will even work for humans. It does, though, and Luca comes back to life—with one small caveat. He can’t remember most things, including his marriage to Emery. After almost losing Luca, Emery is now grateful for what she has, and she’s determined to show him that she can be a better, more attentive partner. While Luca may not remember her, their magnetic chemistry is still there. This may be the do-over they needed to save their marriage—that is, if Emery can keep the life-reviving measures she took hidden from everyone around them, including nosy neighbors and her own company. Lauren—the pen name of the duo behind rom-coms like The Paradise Problem (2024)—has created a unique hook that feels genuinely refreshing. Emery and Luca’s unconventional second chance is emotionally compelling, and the slight thriller edge as Emery tries to cover up her actions keeps the pages turning.
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781668017753
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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
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