A risk-averse actuary gets so lucky.
Minerva Dobbs has been warned: If she wants to snag a new guy to replace dreary David, who does something with software, it’s time to loosen up. Does Liza mean she should get rid of her favorite gray-checked suit? If plump, pretty Min dared to wear body-hugging purple get-ups like her tall, trim friend, she’d look like Barney the Dinosaur’s slut cousin. And, yes, her self-esteem needs a group hug right now from all her best buddies in the bar: Min just overheard David, a client of Cal Morrisey, a genial organizer of business seminars, bet ten bucks—or was it ten thousand?—that Cal can’t get into Min’s sensible white cotton panties. Cal, who’s so good-looking he should be on coins, takes the bet and unloads chatty Cynthie, his ex-girlfriend, a know-it-all TV shrink, on David. Then Cal takes Min out to dinner; eats dinner; then walks Min home. And that’s it: Have a nice life. But, hey, wait a minute—would Cal mind taking Min to her perfect sister’s splashy wedding? He and she would only have to pretend to like each other for a few months. No biggie. And, lo and behold, this mismatched pair slowly and surely discover that they really do like each other. Watch for the good parts: a sidesplitting riff on bridesmaids’ dresses; the nonsensical wishful thinking of a relationship psychologist; a maternal analysis of underwear as bait; and every bad line from every date from hell a big girl ever had. Crusie (Faking It, 2002, etc.) gives chick-lit clichés a triple shot of adrenaline, intelligence, and smart-mouth wit.
Bet you can’t stop reading it. Absolutely, irresistibly hilarious.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2004
ISBN: 0-312-30346-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2003
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE
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Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable...
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Sydney and Ridge make beautiful music together in a love triangle written by Hoover (Losing Hope, 2013, etc.), with a link to a digital soundtrack by American Idol contestant Griffin Peterson.
Hoover is a master at writing scenes from dual perspectives. While music student Sydney is watching her neighbor Ridge play guitar on his balcony across the courtyard, Ridge is watching Sydney’s boyfriend, Hunter, secretly make out with her best friend on her balcony. The two begin a songwriting partnership that grows into something more once Sydney dumps Hunter and decides to crash with Ridge and his two roommates while she gets back on her feet. She finds out after the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggie—and that he's deaf. Ridge’s deafness doesn’t impede their relationship or their music. In fact, it creates opportunities for sexy nonverbal communication and witty text messages: Ridge tenderly washes off a message he wrote on Sydney’s hand in ink, and when Sydney adds a few too many e’s to the word “squee” in her text, Ridge replies, “If those letters really make up a sound, I am so, so glad I can’t hear it.” While they fight their mutual attraction, their hope that “maybe someday” they can be together playfully comes out in their music. Peterson’s eight original songs flesh out Sydney’s lyrics with a good mix of moody musical styles: “Living a Lie” has the drama of a Coldplay piano ballad, while the chorus of “Maybe Someday” marches to the rhythm of the Lumineers. But Ridge’s lingering feelings for Maggie cause heartache for all three of them. Independent Maggie never complains about Ridge’s friendship with Sydney, and it's hard to even want Ridge to leave Maggie when she reveals her devastating secret. But Ridge can’t hide his feelings for Sydney long—and they face their dilemma with refreshing emotional honesty.
Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable characters and just the right amount of sexual tension.Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4767-5316-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2014
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP
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Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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