A promising debut that provides an honest and raw examination of the destructive nature of unrealized dreams.
A young British woman struggling to conceive faces numerous disappointments in this emotional and surprisingly humorous debut.
Olivia and Felix have recently moved to the suburbs of London in anticipation of beginning a family. In their early 30s, they expect that conceiving a baby should be fairly straightforward. When many months pass without a positive pregnancy test, they both feel the strain of their unrealized dreams. As sex becomes more of a chore than an expression of devotion, the couple’s marriage suffers. Olivia dives more deeply into her position at the Swedish lifestyle company where she works despite the fact that she feels consistently underappreciated there. Meanwhile, it seems her every friend is popping out multiple babies with ease. As she and Felix suffer the barrage of Instagram baby brags and the indignity of fertility apps directing them to fornicate at a moment’s notice, they grow increasingly frustrated. Even so, both characters seem to get in the way of their own baby-making goals. Felix continues to disappear on long business trips, precluding the possibility of coupling on certain optimal days, and Olivia refuses to give up drinking or even visit a doctor to discuss fertility until deep into the novel. As baby-making, or the lack thereof, sends Olivia’s life on a downward spiral, she wonders whether procreating is worth such distress. Told from Olivia’s perspective, the story contains many slapstick moments that provide much-needed relief from the more difficult topic of infertility. Olivia struggles to fit in at the office as well as in her social circle, a group that is becoming increasingly baby-dominated. The author also pokes fun at the uber-trendy nature of the Scandinavian company where Olivia works, from the futuristic furniture to her frighteningly handsome supervisor. Told in an accessible and fast-paced prose full of British humor, the novel feels almost like a collection of blog posts about the difficulties of TTC. Despite the lighthearted nature of the language, there is a depth of emotion to the story that will leave readers deeply moved.
A promising debut that provides an honest and raw examination of the destructive nature of unrealized dreams.Pub Date: Dec. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4736-6380-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Oct. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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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