Uncomfortably regressive.
A woman and two young children move to a small Alabama town to make a new life.
Kelly Jenkins is the temporary guardian to Todd and Daisy, the young children of her best friend who died of cancer a year ago. Their dad left the children with Kelly and took off for parts unknown. Kelly loves the kids and does her best to care for them, but after losing her job in the city, the only job she can find is in the tiny town of Blue Moon, Alabama. Her new job is to revive and restore the drive-in movie theater, which has been in disrepair for decades. The drive-in is adjacent to the pecan groves of town recluse Seth Morgan. He’s been living quietly after the death of his young daughter in a bicycle accident, too consumed with grief to engage with the townspeople. Kelly’s new boss gives her a box of old VHS tapes to teach her the history of the movies, and coincidentally, Seth owns the only VHS player in town. The two bond together in a sweet, chaste romance while planning a fundraiser for a new projector for the drive-in. When Todd and Daisy’s father returns, Kelly and Seth try to convince him that they would be better parents to the children. Author Dailey died a decade ago, and this novel penned by a ghostwriter reads as though it was pulled out of a time capsule. Even in the context of romance, the plot is dated and old-fashioned; for example, Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Dream a Little Dream (1998) centered a similar story about saving a drive-in. The book has a traditional, conservative view of parenthood and what constitutes a family. Every big problem is fixed with a pat, easy solution.
Uncomfortably regressive.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781420153613
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Zebra/Kensington
Review Posted Online: Feb. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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 deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.
A happily engaged woman is pulled back to her hometown—and her first love—when tragedy strikes.
Billie Wright is living her dream, running a thriving fertility clinic in New York City and engaged to a wonderful trauma surgeon named Dean. Her happily-ever-after meant giving up her life in Wisconsin, where she left behind many friends as well as her high school sweetheart, Mick. Although they’d been deeply in love, when Billie’s ambition pulled her away from home and toward the city, Mick couldn’t handle either the distance or her busy schedule. Billie has finally moved on from that heartbreak—but then she receives a phone call from Mick, the first communication between them in years. Her best friend, Erin, died in a car accident, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Now Billie must return home to help sort Erin’s affairs and provide some kind of comfort to Phoebe while grieving the loss of her best friend. Of course, being back home also means being in close contact with Mick. Their feelings for each other may not have ever gone away, and their proximity leads to big decisions for Billie. Can she ever reconcile her current life in Manhattan with her past in Wisconsin? And which one will be her future? Giffin knows how to do drama, and she ratchets up the stakes with every page as she continues to reveal new obstacles for Billie. The ending wraps up quite neatly, but the nostalgia-filled ride is full of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages.
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780593600320
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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