An engrossing tale about sexual assault that skillfully covers a tough and timely topic.
In this debut novel, a woman uncovers a buried traumatic memory through therapy.
Emily Archer, who works for Barnes Advertising and Marketing, is enjoying her time at Clifton Pharmaceutical’s annual gala when a random man gropes her on the dance floor. Enraged, Emily later locates him and slaps him in front of her colleagues. The man turns out to be the new vice president of sales for Clifton (a BAM client) and Emily’s actions earn her a paid suspension from work. Emily finds herself angered by her situation and how women are treated overall in society, particularly how their accounts of sexual assault are rarely believed (“Every inch of her body wanted to scream at someone or everyone for what had happened Saturday night. For what happened to her at work. For what was happening to women everywhere far too often”). Emily starts going to therapy and, through a modality called Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, she discovers a deeply buried memory of being assaulted as a teenager. Meanwhile, Emily’s sister, Cara, is working on a home renovation television show where the new co-host, Stan Hester, faces sexual assault complaints. When Emily learns of Stan, she realizes that he seems extremely familiar and starts investigating his behavior. In her novel, Boulden tackles the topic of sexual assault with great care and empathy while exploring the possible benefits of EMDR as a form of trauma therapy. The author’s prose is accessible, and her execution of Emily’s and Cara’s plotlines as they eventually merge is seamless, particularly as readers find out more about Stan and his vile actions. There are moments when the dialogue feels a bit wooden—resembling lines in a pamphlet on the #MeToo movement rather than realistic conversations—and this can make the story sluggish. But this is a minor misstep, and Emily’s and Cara’s feelings about their situations (as well as the events that affect ancillary characters in the tale) give voice to the very real fears and frustrations that women face daily. Boulden’s examination of a perpetually relevant subject is admirable and relatable.
An engrossing tale about sexual assault that skillfully covers a tough and timely topic.Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 979-8-9860384-0-7
Page Count: 334
Publisher: Pine Place Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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