A satisfying read about finding fulfillment in career and love.
In Garrett’s novel, a Black woman in her 40s comes into her own both personally and professionally.
Forty-four-year-old Elle Rollins is facing crossroads, both in her personal and work life. Her successful career in sales at Eaton Global Technology Group is being threatened by the questionable actions of her new boss, Nasim Ranjan. Darien, her lover, has been increasingly remote since his wife returned to Chicago, causing Elle to feel like his mistress for the first time in their intense 10-year relationship. Facing these predicaments, Elle reassesses her goals and needs. Her best friend Berns and longtime pal and colleague Jade are supportive as she sorts through the arcs of her relationship with Darien, her previous relationship with her ex-husband and co-parent Olivier, and a nascent connection with Kinte, a young fitness entrepreneur who is “bold enough to navigate his own path; taking what he needed from working for the man and using it to free himself.” Jade sounds a warning about the depth of Ranjan’s treachery, leading Elle to confront all of the unwarranted slights she’s received throughout her career at EGT and question her long-term professional aspirations. Reaching out to her mentor Liam, a retired EGT executive, and Kelly, a PR whiz, Elle charts a course to get to what is rightfully hers. (“She’d stand her ground, unwavering, and speak her piece — loudly, if need be.”) Debut author Garrett shows a depth of knowledge regarding all aspects of Elle’s life; details of her sales expertise are spot-on, displaying a thorough understanding of everything from the nuts-and-bolts of the accounts and products to strategies for making the negotiation room as physically advantageous as possible. Readers familiar with Chicago and Evanston will recognize dining spots like Hecky’s and Everest, and resonate with descriptions of perfect midwestern days: “The sun was riding high in the western sky, the breeze blew just right and the city was dynamic and alive.” The dialogue is snappy and rings true, whether between good friends over brunch, couples breaking up, or exes who have forged a companionable parenting relationship.
A satisfying read about finding fulfillment in career and love.Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9798822949355
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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