by Kathy Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2023
A breezy romantic comedy celebrating life’s second chances.
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In Anderson’s novel, a queer Philadelphia librarian in a dead-end job spontaneously takes a promotion in New Jersey, where she falls for a younger, charismatic deli owner and revitalizes the local library.
It’s the 2010s, and the Pinetree, New Jersey, public library is searching for a town librarian to “drop-kick” the library “into the twenty-first century.” The job sounds perfect to 50-year-old Nan Nethercott, who’s had the same entry-level librarian job in the Philadelphia public library system since she graduated from library school 25 years ago with a master’s degree in library and information sciences. She gets the job and moves to Pinetree, where she meets a collection of “odd characters,” including old men in the library who squabble over the New York Times; elderly landlady Immaculata Fortunato, who refuses to let Nan go hungry; and “cute butchy flirty” deli owner Thomasina, nicknamed T. Nan needs to make her job in Pinetree work—which would be much simpler without ski-masked intruders screaming obscenities and a practitioner of “urinary vandalism” terrorizing the library. With ornery board president Phillip “Pip” Conti breathing down her neck, Nan must figure out how to stop the disruptions. Overall, this is a cozy romantic comedy that’s perfect for a beach read. The descriptions are, by turns, luxurious and hilarious, as in this early passage: “Nan was as unknown as the inside of a brand-new book, still smelling of fresh ink, its pages immaculate before readers dripped red wine on them or used a banana peel for a bookmark.” This quirky, funny novel will particularly charm queer female readers as well as anyone who enjoys older women’s stories of personal and career growth. The stakes are low and the tone is light, and Nan’s voice reveals her as a relatable character who’s desperate to change something—anything—about her life. The author might have spent more time fleshing out Nan’s reasons for leaving Pennsylvania, beyond a generic midlife crisis, but the sparse exposition doesn’t detract from this otherwise enjoyable story.
A breezy romantic comedy celebrating life’s second chances.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781648906084
Page Count: 365
Publisher: NineStar Press
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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New York Times Bestseller
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
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SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
by Lana Ferguson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 3, 2024
This slightly smutty monster romance feels more like a spectacle than a deliberately paced story.
A woman travels to Scotland to unravel her late father’s past and meets a grumpy Scotsman with his own secrets.
Keyanna MacKay was brought up by a single father who was always tight-lipped about his upbringing, so when he dies, she’s left with no family. Key decides that learning about his life before he left Scotland would be a good way of keeping his memory close and perhaps connecting with long-lost relatives. She discovers a grandmother and other extended family in Scotland, but they’re hardly welcoming. “I know who you are....And you shouldn’t have come,” are the first words her grandmother says to her. Lachlan Greer has little patience for the American he’s already written off as clueless. When he witnesses Key’s snubbing by her family members, his grumpy demeanor gives way to begrudging pity, and he starts helping her navigate the local community and try to build a bridge to her grandmother. At first, this book seems to be a contemporary romance with light magical undertones involving a family’s mysterious curse, but it quickly devolves into a monster romance heavy on shock value. While monster romance can be fun, it doesn’t work here. Key and Lachlan’s chemistry is bumpy, and the pace of their relationship as they go from disastrous first impressions to a happily ever after is all over the place. Ferguson tries to combine too many elements—including a grumpy-meets-sunshine pairing, a mystery with sensitive family dynamics, and the complicated logistics of falling in love with a cryptid—leaving several threads not fully resolved. The setting is the most positive element, with Scotland’s lush greenery providing the perfect whimsical background for hunting down long-buried family secrets.
This slightly smutty monster romance feels more like a spectacle than a deliberately paced story.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593816851
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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