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BETWEEN US

An entertaining romantic drama with more conversations about fidelity and sex than sexy times.

Friends turn lovers after years of misunderstandings.

Roisin Walters and Joe Powell have been a couple for a long time, she being the kind Monica to his somewhat mean Chandler in their group of friends in northern England. But as Joe has found fame as a TV writer, Roisin can no longer pretend that their relationship is thriving. When she realizes that he’s stealing ideas from her life to fuel his new project, and might also be unfaithful, Roisin tries to call it quits. In the process, it slowly dawns on her that their pal Matt McKenzie no longer feels like just a friend. By turns comic and poignant and occasionally spiked with soap-operatic confrontations, McFarlane’s latest offering is more in the tradition of Bridget Jones’s Diary than a straightforward genre romance novel. While her female protagonist occasionally seems written to incite the reader’s exasperation, Roisin’s scenes with other women and the portrait of her flawed mother show a more deft hand at representing the gender. Matt, with his slight resemblance to Mark Darcy, comes off as error-prone but a well-meaning nice guy. McFarlane defers their happy ending (or happy start, as Roisin the teacher explains to her students) for most of the plot, spending more time on Roisin and Joe’s messy breakup. The novel’s emphasis on female solidarity against gaslighting, narcissistic boyfriends might be cathartic for some readers, while the off-the-page sex between the eventual couple might not work for others. References to abortion and abuse are handled with a respectful touch and feel like an organic part of the plot.

An entertaining romantic drama with more conversations about fidelity and sex than sexy times.

Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023

ISBN: 9780063117990

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023

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IT STARTS WITH US

Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.

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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

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IT ENDS WITH US

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...

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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

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