A bumpy journey, but the delightful characters make it worthwhile.
A goth, bisexual astronaut takes on the task of training a himbo actor for his role in an Oscar-bait space movie.
Reggie Hayes is determined to be the first woman on the moon, but her icy, anti-social tendencies may put her out of the running for the upcoming mission. To show she can be a team player, she agrees to work with actor and natural charmer Jon Leo. They’ll spend a month together at a NASA base in Arizona where he’ll get an immersive experience of astronaut life and be filmed for behind-the-scenes footage. Jon is most known for his lowbrow comedic roles; he took on this project in hopes of being seen as a serious actor. He’s both intimidated by and in major awe of Reggie. She’s easily frustrated by him, but, try as she might, she can’t ignore their sexual tension. The forced proximity increases their lust, putting their sexual cravings constantly at the fronts of their minds even as they try to be professional. As they continue to gravitate toward each other, Reggie learns Jon is smarter than she expected, and he discovers why she puts up emotional barriers. Fans of grumpy-sunshine pairings will revel in the banter and chemistry between these two even though the overall plot doesn’t flow smoothly. Inner conflicts are deftly handled as Reggie struggles with vulnerability and Jon learns of his ADHD, but some external dramas feel silly and unnecessary.
A bumpy journey, but the delightful characters make it worthwhile.Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-3260-5
Page Count: 347
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.
Childhood friends, almost-sweethearts, a misunderstanding, and a funeral.
Blair Lang and Declan Renshaw were best friends who went on one date before a disagreement and an accident sent them in different directions after high school. Now Blair is back from college to be with her great-aunt Lottie, who’s dying, and to support her single mother in small-town Seabrook, California. Finding a job at a coffee shop puts her in the path of her former boyfriend, since he turns out to be its owner. Can the two get past their mistakes? The novel uses the popular second-chance romance trope, but Pham fails to energize it through interesting characters. Blair’s grief over her great-aunt’s death and her plan to help her mother are overshadowed by internal monologues about her feelings, the way her friends aren’t paying attention to her, and the novel she plans to write. Declan’s distinguishing characteristic, besides being a former high school quarterback, is his skill at building birdhouses. Unsurprisingly, the couple doesn’t have much chemistry; when they embrace, their “bodies meld like…memory foam.” The wooden characters, unusual word choices (“conglomerate of pedestrians,” “litany of plants”), and odd turns of phrase (“tension melting from his eyebrows like butter melting in a warm pan”) are almost enough to obscure the lack of plot development. What passes for stakes is easily defused when Blair comes into an inheritance that saves her from working as a consultant at Ernst & Young in New York—so she can write a romance novel.
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781668095188
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.
A Seattle woman meets a Chicago businessman as she flies home from a visit to a friend, and her small act of kindness blossoms into more.
Maisy Gallagher is barely making ends meet. With her father’s unexpected death a few years earlier, she dropped out of nursing school to help out in the family’s jewelry store, working with her uncle. Her older brother, Sean, also moved back home so he and Maisy could help their mother and their 10-year-old brother, Patrick. When Maisy offers a ride to a rude businessman who sat next to her on the plane, she’s just operating on the kindness her grandmother instilled in her. That businessman, Chase Furst, turns out to be an incredibly wealthy banker; he’s flown into Seattle to make funeral arrangements for his mother, to whom he hasn’t spoken in years. Sparks fly in this gentle and predictable romance that leans heavily on long-distance and class-divide tropes. As with many of the author’s books, Christianity and the characters’ reliance on God’s will—as they wait and see what happens next—play a large part, as do traditional gender roles where women cook, clean, and only work in paying jobs until they have children at home to take care of. The author does offer a lighter touch when it comes to the painful ways alcoholism can destroy family relationships, with an understanding of the regret that can weigh on every family member.
Light on plot and heavy on bolstering traditional gender norms as the ultimate goal for both men and women.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9798217091676
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
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