An often captivating story that’s equally heartwarming and sexy.
In Harlow’s romance, when circumstances force a young woman back to her hometown after 10 years away, she finds herself reexamining abandoned friendships and lost love.
The book opens during Mila Ferguson’s last days in the small town of Hart’s Landing, where she recently graduated high school. She finally works up the nerve to kiss her longtime crush, Everett McKean, who stops by the bakery where she’s working, only for them to be interrupted by an explosion that sets the store ablaze. Believing herself responsible for the destruction, Mila leaves her quaint town and loses touch with her three closest friends, as well as Everett. Ten years later, Mila is living in Brooklyn, New York, and working as a botanical illustrator. Her mom calls to tell her that she’s having double hip-replacement surgery and will need her help afterward. Despite their turbulent relationship, Mila reluctantly agrees to come home, but from the moment she arrives in Hart’s Landing, she’s assaulted by memories from her childhood, including her abandonment by her father and her mother’s relentless pressure. She also runs into Everett everywhere. Their mutual attraction hasn’t abated, but Mila is reluctant to pursue Everett because she’s only in town temporarily and healing from a divorce. Even so, she can’t seem to resist his charm and devotion. As the two grow closer, she also tries to reconnect with former friends. Harlow mainly tells the story in chapters from either Mila’s or Everett’s first-person perspectives, and it’s an engaging tale, despite some unanswered questions. For example, the story of Mila’s third lost friend remains unresolved, as if forgotten, and the author never makes clear why the whole town is so thoroughly caught up in the mystery of a single workplace accident from 10 years ago—especially when they all seem to agree on the culprit. Mila’s fraught relationship with her mother also largely goes unexplored. Still, the chemistry between Mila and Everett jumps off the page, and Harlow renders the steamier scenes well; the main characters, as well as Hart’s Landing itself, are thoroughly lovable.
An often captivating story that’s equally heartwarming and sexy.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9781682816660
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.
A marriage on the rocks gets a second chance—with a science-fiction twist.
Dr. Emery Martín is happily married to her husband Luca…mostly. She’s been madly in love with him since the moment they met, but in the three years they’ve been wed, she hasn’t been able to focus much on him. To the world—including Luca—Emery’s job involves developing medical-grade lasers. In reality, she works at a supersecret San Diego lab that’s engineering a compound to bring mammals back from the dead. Although Emery doesn’t want to admit it, she can tell that Luca feels pushed aside, but she believes so deeply in her work that she has a hard time leaving the lab. When Emery is late for dinner—yet again—on their anniversary, she rushes home only to see Luca get hit by a car. She has the secret compound in her car, and she knows she could get in major trouble if she uses it—but what’s she supposed to do, not save her husband’s life? The compound has only been tested on animals so far, and there’s no guarantee it will even work for humans. It does, though, and Luca comes back to life—with one small caveat. He can’t remember most things, including his marriage to Emery. After almost losing Luca, Emery is now grateful for what she has, and she’s determined to show him that she can be a better, more attentive partner. While Luca may not remember her, their magnetic chemistry is still there. This may be the do-over they needed to save their marriage—that is, if Emery can keep the life-reviving measures she took hidden from everyone around them, including nosy neighbors and her own company. Lauren—the pen name of the duo behind rom-coms like The Paradise Problem (2024)—has created a unique hook that feels genuinely refreshing. Emery and Luca’s unconventional second chance is emotionally compelling, and the slight thriller edge as Emery tries to cover up her actions keeps the pages turning.
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781668017753
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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
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