An uneven rom-com that offers readers a match not made in heaven.
Two warring matchmakers vie to make one another fall in love in this debut romance.
The key to finding the perfect match is written in the stars—at least according to Olivia Huang Christenson, the newly appointed Chief Executive of Love. Her family has shaped their decades-old matchmaking business, Lunar Love, around using the Chinese zodiac to make compatible pairings. Ever since her Pó Po—whose matchmaking success rate sits astronomically high—left the company to her, Liv has made it her mission to carry on the family tradition. Taking on the role of Head Matchmaker is easier said than done, however, especially with realtors knocking on the door of their Chinatown office and the company's income sinking. On top of that, Liv’s own love life is practically nonexistent…that is, until a fateful run-in with a handsome cocktail-bun thief at Lucky Monkey Bakery. Like her, Bennett O'Brien is mixed race with Chinese heritage, and just as Liv begins to imagine a future with him, she discovers that he’s the creator of a new, numbers-based matchmaking app called ZodiaCupid. Not only does Bennett’s app threaten to put Lunar Love out of business, he’s also a Rat—the most incompatible sign to her Horse. When they end up featured on the same podcast, Liv challenges Bennett to a contest: She says Lunar Love can help him find true love faster than ZodiaCupid can find a match for her, with the ultimate prize of social media exposure and guaranteed new clients. Can Liv put aside her beliefs about incompatibility and algorithms in time to realize that opposites do, in fact, attract? Jessen’s debut excels at explaining the history of the Chinese zodiac and throwing in fun matchmaking tidbits (did you know Rembrandt was born during the Year of the Horse?), but, unfortunately, the romance falls flat. Liv is often unkind and paranoid toward Bennett, and the sweet, cozy moments of their courtship are overshadowed by her constant scheming to sabotage his company.
An uneven rom-com that offers readers a match not made in heaven.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-538-71025-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.
A marriage on the rocks gets a second chance—with a science-fiction twist.
Dr. Emery Martín is happily married to her husband Luca…mostly. She’s been madly in love with him since the moment they met, but in the three years they’ve been wed, she hasn’t been able to focus much on him. To the world—including Luca—Emery’s job involves developing medical-grade lasers. In reality, she works at a supersecret San Diego lab that’s engineering a compound to bring mammals back from the dead. Although Emery doesn’t want to admit it, she can tell that Luca feels pushed aside, but she believes so deeply in her work that she has a hard time leaving the lab. When Emery is late for dinner—yet again—on their anniversary, she rushes home only to see Luca get hit by a car. She has the secret compound in her car, and she knows she could get in major trouble if she uses it—but what’s she supposed to do, not save her husband’s life? The compound has only been tested on animals so far, and there’s no guarantee it will even work for humans. It does, though, and Luca comes back to life—with one small caveat. He can’t remember most things, including his marriage to Emery. After almost losing Luca, Emery is now grateful for what she has, and she’s determined to show him that she can be a better, more attentive partner. While Luca may not remember her, their magnetic chemistry is still there. This may be the do-over they needed to save their marriage—that is, if Emery can keep the life-reviving measures she took hidden from everyone around them, including nosy neighbors and her own company. Lauren—the pen name of the duo behind rom-coms like The Paradise Problem (2024)—has created a unique hook that feels genuinely refreshing. Emery and Luca’s unconventional second chance is emotionally compelling, and the slight thriller edge as Emery tries to cover up her actions keeps the pages turning.
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781668017753
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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
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