A breezy romance as satisfying as ice cream on the beach.
A young woman moves to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in pursuit of a dream in Hale’s romance novel.
Alice Emerson, a single mother in her mid-20s, is at a crossroads in her life, living in Chesapeake, Virginia, with her 6-year-old son Henry. Her boyfriend of two years has just dumped her; six months earlier, her grandfather Paul died and left her the beachside building that housed his bicycle shop in Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. (“Gramps’s shop and his apartment upstairs had always been her solace whenever things went awry.”) Taking a leap of faith, she moves to Kitty Hawk with Henry and their new rescue dog Einstein to open an ice cream shop called the Summer Hideaway. Her best friend, Sasha, dealing with her own heartbreak, joins them. As they use their marketing talents and creativity to realize their dream, they become part of the community. Their neighbor Melly St. James, a nurse at the community hospital, keeps them abreast of local news, including a possible business downturn. Sparks fly between Alice and Jack Murphy, who was her summer crush at age 16, but the situation is complicated by Jack’s imminent return to Chicago for a five-year medical residency. Making things worse, Einstein goes missing. Through it all, they persevere, working to turn the Summer Hideaway into a place where memories are made, love blossoms, and families are reunited. Hale’s prose evokes the magic of the Outer Banks and its hold on Alice—it’s a place “where the sound of the ocean was always there to greet her and the summer breeze seemed to go on forever.” Alice’s vulnerability and uncertainty—offset by her growing self-confidence and determination to prioritize her dreams and her young son’s happiness—are relatable, and readers will root for her happiness. In true romance fashion, loose ends tie up in a heartwarming manner. Recipes for delicious drinks mentioned in the story and a book club guide complement the text, making it perfect for armchair travelers and book clubs in addition to fans of romance.
A breezy romance as satisfying as ice cream on the beach.Pub Date: June 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781963483260
Page Count: 286
Publisher: Harpeth Road Press
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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
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