A matchmaker realizes her best friend has been her perfect match all along.
Kamila Hussain is an accountant by trade and a people-pleaser by nature. She is a vibrant, self-confident, and fashionable woman who is at the center of a large, extended group of friends. She takes care of her elderly father, hosts weekly Bollywood watch parties, and is planning a puppy prom gala for her favorite animal shelter. Despite her outward bravado and confidence, she is plagued by self-doubt and tortured by memories of her late mother’s harsh, judgmental attacks. Kamila’s best friend is Rohan Nasser; in fact, he’s practically family since his brother is married to her sister. He’s always willing to co-host a party or help her father to a doctor’s appointment. Kamila has taken it upon herself to find love matches for her friends—driven by her joy at seeing people in satisfying relationships but also fueled by a conviction that her friends would be happier if they followed her advice. She ignores her friends' hints that Rohan might be the perfect romantic partner for her; she can’t imagine changing the safe, comfortable status quo she has developed with him. However, Kamila’s usual sunny personality is disrupted by the return of her childhood archnemesis, Jana Suleiman. Kamila suspects something might be going on between Rohan and Jana, and she can no longer ignore that her feelings for Rohan are rooted more in romance than friendship. Although Heron’s novel contains a complete romantic arc, the primary focus is on Kamila’s journey. Although Kamila is a successful adult, many of the dilemmas and difficulties she tries to overcome date to her teenage years, which lends the novel a coming-of-age feel.
A sweet, slow-burn story about a woman who finds herself before finding love.Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5387-3500-8
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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.
59
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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
SEEN & HEARD
A Canadian 30-something gets a second chance at love and career.
If Fern Brookbanks ever opened the Toronto espresso shop of her dreams, the first song on the playlist would be “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone. That could be the soundtrack of this upbeat, often very witty Canadian romance novel as well. Unfortunately, though, 32-year-old Fern will not be opening any espresso shops but instead must cope with managing the struggling cottage resort she's suddenly inherited on Lake Muskoka. She grew up on its grounds, and her only significant accomplishment so far in life is getting out of there. But then her mother, a 55-year-old powerhouse who's been running the place single-handedly all her adult life, dies in a car crash. Left to help poor Fern keep things going are her high school boyfriend, Jamie, and her mother's dear friend Peter, the resort's master baker, who helped raise Fern and nurtured her love of great playlists. Then Will Baxter, a handsome hunk her mother hired as a consultant to help save the hotel, turns out to be the very guy Fern had the most amazing night of her life with 10 years ago—only he broke her heart by failing to show up for their second date. Fortune fills her novel with food, music, and clothing descriptions and has some truly great one-liners: “I didn't know an apron could be sexy, but this apron is the lost Hemsworth brother of aprons.” The suspense is created by withholding information: What was Fern’s outrageous teenage transgression? What was the terrible thing she read in her mother’s diary? Why did Will stand her up 10 years ago? While this technique does feel a bit formulaic, it keeps the pages turning.
Escape to the lakefront with this entertaining romance.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780593438558
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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