A sweet and charming read.
In Rafferty’s novel, a celebrity searches for meaning beyond fame after a personal breakdown.
Joseph Prescott, the charismatic star of the wildly successful Earth Versus Sky film franchise, has lived in the spotlight since he was 15 years old. When Joseph attempts to take his own life on his 35th birthday, the shocking incident forces him to confront the emptiness behind the glamor and the unresolved pain he’s carried since he was a teenager. Meanwhile, Aisling “Ash” O’Hara, an autism care worker and amateur but talented musical theater actress, feels stuck in a rut, her dreams sidelined by financial struggles and a sense of stagnation. While her younger sisters seem to be thriving, building careers, relationships, and families, Ash feels stuck, wondering if her own life will ever move forward. Their paths cross when Joseph checks into Meadowvale Clinic, a treatment facility recommended by his closest friend, actor Yoni Rosen. Ash is hired at Meadowvale on a temporary basis to conduct gardening therapy and is stunned to find a world-famous celebrity among her group of amateur gardeners. Joseph is eager to participate, and their initial conversations, rooted in shared vulnerability and humor, quickly blossom into something deeper. As Joseph works through therapy and begins to unpack the trauma and pressures that drove him to the brink, he discovers an unexpected source of hope in Ash. Rafferty deftly balances her leads: Ash’s grounded perspective and genuine kindness offer a stark contrast to the superficiality of Joseph’s life, and she finds herself drawn to Joseph’s sincerity, even as she questions whether their connection can survive the vast differences in their worlds (“what if he doesn’t really like me and only wanted to use me to get his mojo back in gear before he starts pulling all those gorgeous models again?”). The narrative sensitively delves into themes of healing, identity, and the profound impact of human connection. Although the use of song lyrics sometimes feels unnecessary and interrupts the flow, the characters remain deeply engaging and likable, propelling readers through the story.
A sweet and charming read.Pub Date: June 14, 2025
ISBN: 9791224322801
Page Count: 326
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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