A winning love story with just the right amounts of thoughtfulness and playful energy.
Sparks fly when a teacher meets his new student’s father in Wardell’s queer romance.
The end of winter break is a whirlwind of activity for Marvin Block, who teaches kindergarten at Pelletier Elementary in Cumberland County, Maine. He learns that he’s a nominee for the county’s teacher of the year. If he wins that honor at the county level, he becomes the county’s nominee for a state-level award—which would mean a lot, both for Marvin and for Pelletier Elementary, which is facing financial setbacks. Such a win would help the principal, Tori Knorse, secure funding the school desperately needs. As school starts again, Marvin welcomes new student Illona Stone to his class. She and her father, Olan, left the West Coast and moved to New England after Olan sold his company, Stone Aerospace, to Boeing. The girl quickly adjusts to her new surroundings, and Marvin finds a friend in her handsome father, whose devotion to his daughter warms Marvin’s heart. Single after a devastating breakup, romance is the last thing on Marvin’s agenda—until he discovers that Olan has feelings for him. As they build a connection beyond the classroom, past traumas and present anxieties threaten to end their relationship before it starts. Will Marvin win teacher of the year as well as the man of his dreams? Wardell’s debut queer contemporary romance is a compulsively readable blend of nuanced characterization and appealing storytelling. Marvin is an amiable protagonist who’s shown to have overcome a difficult childhood with an alcoholic mother to forge a stable life and a career as a well-respected teacher. Wardell skillfully weaves together a passionate tale of romance with an empathetic exploration of Marvin’s struggles with anxiety and ADHD as well as Olan’s complexities. The engaging narrative is also replete with appealing references to popular culture and music: “when ‘Damaged’ by the gone-too-soon Danity Kane comes on, I play it on repeat for longer than probably recommended by medical professionals.”
A winning love story with just the right amounts of thoughtfulness and playful energy.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798987787519
Page Count: 316
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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