A fun and nostalgic ode to our favorite teen dramas (with a welcome dose of reality).
When a birthday wish goes wrong, a 30-year-old woman finds herself transported into the world of her favorite teen soap opera.
Brynn Smothers thought she’d found her happily-ever-after, but instead she finds herself celebrating her 30th birthday divorced, miserable, and living with Josh, a roommate she barely knows. Her one constant is Carson’s Cove, a Dawson’s Creek–like teen drama from the 2000s. Every problem in Carson’s Cove has a way of working itself out by the end of the episode—it’s a place where, as Brynn puts it, “the worst fight can always be fixed with a grand romantic gesture.” That’s nothing like real life, and Brynn longs for things to be that easy. Which is why, when she blows out the candle on the birthday cake that mysteriously gets delivered to her front door, she wishes to finally get her own happy ending. The next thing she knows, she and Josh are waking up in Carson’s Cove…but they’re no longer Brynn and Josh. Brynn is Sloan, the good girl who loves sundresses and bike rides and should have ended up with the town heartthrob, Spencer. Josh is Fletch, the quintessential town bad boy who works at a bar. And they’re stuck in Carson’s Cove until Brynn makes sure that Spencer and Sloan get a happy ending instead of the cliffhanger the show ended on. But now that Brynn’s living inside her comfort watch, she can’t help noticing that things in Carson’s Cove aren’t as perfect as they seemed on TV. As she and Josh try to find their way out of the show and back into the real world, their feelings for each other develop into something that could wreck the entire town…or, maybe, change it for the better. Anyone who watched the teen shows of the 2000s will find much to appreciate here, including lots of easter eggs from Robb, who's clearly a devotee of the genre. The magic that brings Brynn and Josh to the Carson’s Cove universe gets a little confusing if you think about it too hard, so it’s best to simply enjoy the ride. Brynn and Josh have smoldering chemistry and plenty of heart, making this an incredibly entertaining and smart romance.
A fun and nostalgic ode to our favorite teen dramas (with a welcome dose of reality).Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593596555
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Dial Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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