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
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
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
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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