A flimsy romance tied to a flaccid murder mystery.
In this sequel to Size 12 Is Not Fat (2005), ex–pop star Heather Wells is about to get married, if only she can stop the murderer in the dorm.
Having been bilked out of her teeny-bopper fortune by her mother, and having lost fame to younger musical upstarts, Heather is rebuilding her life at New York College. It is the end of the summer, and Heather is an assistant director at Fischer Hall, organizing the work schedule for the resident advisers and preparing for the incoming freshmen and all their attendant complaints. Meanwhile, she’s planning for a gala wedding, at the Plaza no less, to Cooper Cartwright, a private detective who also happens to be a media heir. Too bad one of the RAs ends up dead. Alcohol poisoning? Asthma? Murder? When the medical examiner confirms foul play, Heather begins investigating (she is a criminology major, after all) but not without the inherent risks—the murderer may want to shut her up too. Perhaps everything can be traced back to Fischer Hall’s newest resident, “Rascally” Prince Rashid of Qalif, whose hard partying ways, menacing bodyguards and penchant for beautiful coeds could bring shame to the king if word got out. Meanwhile, Heather is trying to keep calm in the face of familial discord: In an attempt to heal the rift, Cooper’s sister Nicole invites Heather’s mother to the wedding. Now Heather is furious with both Nicole and her mother, who is hoping to move in with a less-than-forgiving daughter. Cabot, a megastar in the YA market, has written a number of novels for adults, but this feels misconceived—it's light and superficial yet concerns murder and sex. Though 30, Heather behaves like the teenagers she’s in charge of, making this whole concoction feel like an aspirational novel for a 16-year-old.
A flimsy romance tied to a flaccid murder mystery.Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-173479-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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