A tense, emotional mix of grief and romance.
In Cumiskey’s novel, a teenage girl sets aside her musical aspirations for an unpaid ad agency internship after a tragic accident.
The night that should have launched the dreams of rock stardom of 18-year-old Brynn and her boyfriend, Cody, instead becomes the line between her past and her present. Two cars, two accidents, three deaths—suddenly, Brynn is left to navigate the aftermath of losing both her parents and her boyfriend. With her parents’ assets liquidated and their properties sold to cover their large amount of debt, Brynn is left with only a claustrophobic studio apartment that she calls “the coffin” (“No bedroom or private bath here”).Music, once the lynchpin of her identity as the daughter of musicians, is put on the back burner in favor of getting a job to cover her mounting bills. She manages to land an interview at a prestigious New York ad agency; on her way there, she encounters Micah Kershaw, who’s impatient, rude, and closes the elevator doors on her when she steps out to help an elderly woman. Micah turns out to be her interviewer. His great-grandfather founded the agency in the early 1940s, and despite being only 20, Micah is an associate creative director. He informs Brynn that she doesn’t have enough experience to be a paid intern; she’s given the opportunity to work unpaid, and thus begins the development of their relationship, from reluctant co-workers to something more. Told via alternating perspectives, Cumiskey’s narrative manages to balance the budding romance with a well-rendered exploration of grief, familial expectations, and mental health. As Brynn rebuilds her life after tragedy, Micah struggles to conceal the schizophrenia that’s already cost him so much. The author is skilled at building tension, playing with readers’ investment in the characters’ relationship by having Micah’s fear of falling into psychosis hang over every interaction with Brynn. Part grief narrative, part workplace drama, and part love story, the novel compellingly examines how loss, ambition, and mental health intersect and questions how one can move on in love when a traumatic past is still being reckoned with.
A tense, emotional mix of grief and romance.Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798896360902
Page Count: 376
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.
Best friends confront feelings for each other when they take a honeymoon trip together.
Francesca Gardiner and George Saint James have always been best friends—just like Jo and Laurie from Little Women, which they both love. Frankie has a big, complicated family and George was the boy next door who’d moved in with his eccentric grandmother. Their friendship survived childhood, awkward teenage years, and living together as young adults without ever venturing into the romantic—well, except for one kiss, but they don’t talk about that. When Frankie gets engaged to an older professor named Nate, George isn’t happy and a huge fight ensues. Despite his misgivings, George shows up to be her best man, but Nate leaves Frankie right before the wedding with only a cryptic letter. Devastated, Frankie goes to a friend’s house to recuperate, but her honeymoon is already planned and paid for—so she decides to travel to Tofino, a picturesque town on the coast of Vancouver Island, with George taking Nate’s place. Frankie wants to fix her friendship with George, but now that they’re in a romantic suite in a beautiful location, things are more complicated than ever. She’d always thought a relationship would be a bad idea, but she’s slowly beginning to realize they’ll never be able to go back to being kids. Maybe the only way forward involves forging a new kind of relationship. Fortune, the author of romances like This Summer Will Be Different (2024), returns with another love story full of longing and intense angst. The many allusions to Little Women are charming, and Frankie is a delightfully headstrong, feisty character. She and George have explosive chemistry, and Fortune manages to make the “will-they-or-won’t-they” nature of their relationship feel like life-or-death stakes.
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953242
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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