Next book

THE DECOY GIRLFRIEND

An irresistible romance.

A struggling author agrees to swap places with her celebrity look-alike—and starts falling for her doppelgänger's co-star in the process.

Freya Lal is facing the biggest struggle of her professional life—how on Earth is she going to write a follow-up to her successful debut novel, with the deadline for her first draft looming in a matter of weeks, when she's lacking any inspiration? Rather than continue to fret, she decides to retreat into a newer pastime: dolling herself up and pretending to be the actress Mandi Roy. The two of them look enough alike that people always assume Freya is Mandi, meaning she's been scoring benefits all over town. Unfortunately, one scheme hits the tabloids, and Mandi figures out what's going on, but rather than out Freya immediately, she decides to offer the author a different kind of deal: She wants Freya to keep the impersonation going for the next four weeks so Mandi can enjoy some much-needed R&R. That said, Freya will also have to maintain the fauxmance that Mandi's had with her co-star Taft Bamber for the last several years. While Mandi and Taft have always kept things platonic behind the scenes, using their staged relationship to benefit their star power, Freya doesn't want to pretend Taft is her boyfriend because her feelings for him start to become very, very real. To make matters more complicated, Taft is pretty sure he's falling for Freya, too, and when the two have to move in together in order to sell their decoy dynamic, it turns out they like playing house and all that it entails. The closer they get to the end of their four-week relationship, the harder it becomes to act as though their connection hasn't been real from the beginning. This is a perfectly engaging, flirty rom-com staged around a couple that any reader will be able to fall for.

An irresistible romance.

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-42202-1

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 305


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Next book

IT STARTS WITH US

Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 305


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • 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

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 11


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT

Next book

THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED

A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 11


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT

In Yarros’ latest romance novel, a young woman hires a handsome but infuriating writer to complete her late great-grandmother’s half-finished book.

After her marriage to a Hollywood producer ends in high-profile divorce, 28-year-old Georgia Stanton returns to her childhood home in Colorado. When she arrives at the house where she was raised by her great-grandma—the famous romance author Scarlett Stanton—she finds her mother, Ava, lying in wait. Georgia is in possession of the only unfinished manuscript that her deceased relative left behind, and her own mom wants her to sell the rights so they can get some cash. Georgia succumbs to the pressure and enters a deal in which another author will finish the book’s second half. The manuscript tells Scarlett’s life story, including how she found, and lost, her one true love. Georgia feels strongly that the finished novel must reflect the true events of Scarlett’s life, as difficult as they may have been. Unfortunately, the publishers hire Noah Harrison, a stubborn writer at the height of his career, who has his own fictional vision for the novel’s ending. As Noah and Georgia butt heads, each of them researches Scarlett’s history in England during World War II. As they learn more about Scarlett and Jameson Stanton, the fighter pilot she loved, Georgia and Noah must navigate their own increasingly complicated relationship. With two equally engrossing storylines, this book will draw in even seasoned romance readers. As the story jumps between past and present, the author also alternates present-day perspectives between Georgia and Noah, moving deftly between her characters’ distinct voices. The relationships are well developed, and the love that Scarlett felt for Jameson is especially palpable. Along with the sweetly romantic themes, the book explores several heftier topics, including personal ambition, grief, family discord, and self-esteem. The story has a few digressions that do little to advance the plot, but the main characters are sufficiently engrossing that readers will want to stick with them to the end.

A charming dual-timeline romance about learning from past mistakes.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-68281-566-3

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021

Close Quickview