An overstuffed but uplifting tale of self-actualization with surprising plot twists.
A successful hotel manager finds love in her 60s, then descends into dementia in this “senior romance” novel.
In 2019, Charlotte O’Malley, “still striking at seventy-five years,” is in the lobby of an assisted living home, talking to the staff as if she is the manager, recommending upkeep tasks, etc. She’s expecting someone named Brandon to arrive, although her usual guests are a former work colleague and her niece, who mentions that Charlotte has episodes of Lewy Body dementia. Cut back to 2004. Charlotte is a hotel manager at the Tiffany Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. We meet Brandon, who first glimpses Charlotte at the hotel. They bump into each other again at a nearby resort on Lake Superior where they’re both staying solo. She’s taking a break from work and dealing with her abusive father who now has Lewy Body dementia and is in a nearby care home. Brandon is a Lutheran pastor who hasn’t had sex with his wife in years and is spending a lot of time alone working on a book about sex and spirituality. Charlotte and Brandon begin their relationship with heartfelt talks and secret dinners, which soon progress to an incredible sexual connection. A series of life events—including Brandon’s stumbling onto a discovery that helps to explain his wife’s behavior—disrupts the romance. Charlotte delves deeper into herself during a trip to Ireland, returns a few weeks later to try to move on, and soon forms a new relationship with someone she’s known for years. Fast forward to 2019 at the assisting living home; Charlotte has a healing encounter that may help her make peace with her past.
McAnam notes in the preface that Charlotte was based on women she met during her years running an assisted living home. Here, the author ably depicts the self-discovery of a woman who no longer bases her worth on her attractiveness (the focus of many of the characters in this novel) or her romantic relationships. As Charlotte’s mentor in Ireland notes, “Not all soulmate experiences last to the end of our lives. They are here to help us. Teach us.” The Charlotte/Brandon relationship, which takes up much of the book, is a bittersweet autumnal romance reminiscent of The Bridges of Madison County that takes some unexpected directions. The novel’s final dramatic sequence is a touching, evocative showcase of the drifting thoughts of an increasingly confused Charlotte and her growing spiritual awareness. This novel crams in lots of plot details: Charlotte also had a mentally ill mother, is in recovery, becomes an acclaimed photographer later in life, and loses a loved one at sea. Brandon also contends with an array of challenges at home and at work. Overall, however, this novel is respectful in its depiction of those in the midst of Lewy Body dementia and later-in-life self-acceptance. An overstuffed but uplifting tale of self-actualization with surprising plot twists.Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 270
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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