This romance moves slowly then jerks forward in a leap, but it’s a rewarding rollercoaster ride of discovery.
A messy public breakup becomes a blessing for a control freak in this winning Venezuelan rom-com.
For most women, if the best thing you can say about your boyfriend of four years is that he’s reliable, it’s not a great sign. But for Maria Antonieta Camacho—aka Ella the advice columnist and daughter of the actress-singer known as “Venezuela’s sweetheart”—stability is everything. Or at least that’s what Marianto keeps telling herself when, instead of focusing on strategies to reunite with the boyfriend who just dumped her, she finds herself drawn to Simón Arreaza, the musician turned TV judge she’s been hired to assist. A rockstar romance (with her boss!) is the kind of messiness Marianto spent her lifetime avoiding. She’d micromanaged her future like a Pinterest board, from her ideal husband’s profession to the kids, house, and golden retriever. Marianto even thought she knew when her predictable doctor boyfriend would propose and set her phone to capture the scene for posterity. The fantasy crashed when Alejandro announced that she’s too controlling —“You call the shots and I’m just along for the ride”—and demanded a break instead of the engagement she’d been expecting. The blows multiplied when she accidentally posted the breakup video to her work account and lost her job in the bargain. Working on her mom’s new reality TV competition show is a lifeline, but serving as personal assistant to Simón, the singer-songwriter she’s long admired, is trouble. Their awkward yet fiery chemistry feels refreshingly organic, but the progression of this romance is erratic and not entirely earned. What’s most interesting is how Marianto comes to better know herself. Craving security is only part of her story. She’s rejected everything in her mother’s topsy-turvy life, but being an arts and culture writer keeps her in that world. And for a disciplined person, her life is wonderfully messy.
This romance moves slowly then jerks forward in a leap, but it’s a rewarding rollercoaster ride of discovery.Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9780593955246
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.
Best friends confront feelings for each other when they take a honeymoon trip together.
Francesca Gardiner and George Saint James have always been best friends—just like Jo and Laurie from Little Women, which they both love. Frankie has a big, complicated family and George was the boy next door who’d moved in with his eccentric grandmother. Their friendship survived childhood, awkward teenage years, and living together as young adults without ever venturing into the romantic—well, except for one kiss, but they don’t talk about that. When Frankie gets engaged to an older professor named Nate, George isn’t happy and a huge fight ensues. Despite his misgivings, George shows up to be her best man, but Nate leaves Frankie right before the wedding with only a cryptic letter. Devastated, Frankie goes to a friend’s house to recuperate, but her honeymoon is already planned and paid for—so she decides to travel to Tofino, a picturesque town on the coast of Vancouver Island, with George taking Nate’s place. Frankie wants to fix her friendship with George, but now that they’re in a romantic suite in a beautiful location, things are more complicated than ever. She’d always thought a relationship would be a bad idea, but she’s slowly beginning to realize they’ll never be able to go back to being kids. Maybe the only way forward involves forging a new kind of relationship. Fortune, the author of romances like This Summer Will Be Different (2024), returns with another love story full of longing and intense angst. The many allusions to Little Women are charming, and Frankie is a delightfully headstrong, feisty character. She and George have explosive chemistry, and Fortune manages to make the “will-they-or-won’t-they” nature of their relationship feel like life-or-death stakes.
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953242
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
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