by Patricia MacDonald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2014
Whatever the opposite of domestic bliss is, MacDonald (Sisters, 2013, etc.) knows it like the back of her hand. That...
A middle-aged couple who’ve run from Nashville to West Philadelphia to escape an ugly menace learn that they haven’t run far enough.
Leave it to a politician to screw things up. When alcoholic Iraq vet Dominga Flores finds Mamie Revere felled by a stroke and responds by dialing 911 and giving the old lady CPR while waiting for the ambulance, Mamie’s son, Philadelphia City Councilman Isaiah Revere, can’t resist grandstanding by summoning a TV news crew to shoot him in his mother’s house giving his effusive (and, as it turns out, meaningless) thanks to her rescuer. The only problem is that Mamie’s tenants, Anna and Alan Whitman, who’ve been captured on the videotape hovering in the background, are really Hannah and Adam Wickes, a couple on the lam, and their adorable daughter Sydney, who was with Mamie when she was stricken, is really their granddaughter. What do a halfway house caseworker and a Geek Squad troubleshooter have to hide? The answer, which requires a 150-page flashback, recounts how trouble started when Lisa Wickes, Hannah and Adam’s daughter and Sydney’s single mother, was arrested for murdering her boyfriend, practical nurse Troy Petty, who was killed when his lakeside cabin blew up. It must have been an accident, says supersmart medical student Lisa, who swears Troy was alive and awake when she left him earlier that evening. Not so, insists the district attorney, who has footage of Lisa cashing Troy’s last paycheck. The case rapidly spirals into the stuff of nightmares, but the sequel is even more devastating for Hannah and Adam.
Whatever the opposite of domestic bliss is, MacDonald (Sisters, 2013, etc.) knows it like the back of her hand. That monstrous flashback won’t win her any prizes for dramatic structure, but fans kept up past their bedtimes won’t care a bit.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7278-8405-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Severn House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
More by Patricia MacDonald
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2016
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Awards & Accolades
Likes
371
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by Colleen Hoover
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More About This Book
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
by Robinne Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2017
A fascinating, thought-provoking, genre-bending romantic read.
When Solène Marchand takes her 12-year-old daughter to a concert by the hottest boy band on the planet, she doesn't expect to fall in love with one of the singers.
Middle-aged art gallery owner Solène hasn’t dated since her divorce, but when her ex-husband buys their daughter and a group of her friends tickets to Vegas and a backstage concert experience, then backs out at the last minute, she steps in as escort. The five guys in the wildly popular English boy band August Moon appeal to women of all ages, but Hayes, the brains behind the group’s success, flirts with Solène at the concert meet and greet, invites them to a party after the show, then pursues her once she gets back to Los Angeles. He’s only 20 and he’s incredibly famous; his attention is flattering and heady. The two fall into an affair that’s supposed to be light and easy, but before long they can’t ignore their intense emotional attachment. Solène is hesitant to tell her daughter, but when she procrastinates, Isabelle learns about it through an online tabloid, which damages their relationship and leaves Solène open to censure from her ex. Then, once the affair goes viral, she experiences the darker side of Hayes’ fan base. What started out as a jaunty adventure turns into an emotionally fraught journey, and Solène must decide what she’s willing to risk for her happiness and what she won’t risk for her daughter’s. Actress Lee, who appeared in Fifty Shades Darker, debuts with a beautifully written novel that explores sex, love, romance, and fantasy in moving, insightful ways while also examining a woman’s struggle with aging and sexism, with a nod at the tension between celebrity and privacy.
A fascinating, thought-provoking, genre-bending romantic read.Pub Date: June 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-12590-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More About This Book
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.