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The May/December Twist

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Why should men have all the fun? In a twist on the typical May/December romance, Humphrey’s new chick-lit is a romping good time.
Allie is 50 years old, and her love life is nonexistent. Though she has been divorced for nearly 10 years and her kids are grown, she has been focused on running her successful nonprofit organization, Twenty. Her three best friends (forming a group aptly named “The Four”) are her support and sounding board, having seen each other through life’s highs and lows. They also provide a reality check when needed and push Allie to sign up for a dating website. Allie bows to peer pressure and goes on a few dates with handsome, age-appropriate David. Yet Allie finds herself irrepressibly drawn to the much younger Jameson, a charismatic ball of energy who signs up as a volunteer for her organization. In addition to being smart, handsome, wealthy and highly motivated, he’s also an old soul who sees nothing wrong with a romance between himself and Allie. While fighting her growing attraction to Jameson, Allie is thrown into turmoil, envisioning all the problems inherent in dating a man closer in age to her own children. The reservations of The Four are a major consideration, especially those of the catty and typically unsupportive Jo. Following a breakup of her own, Jo embarks on an online dating adventure as well, managing to turn Allie’s dating experiment into a stressful competition. Full of peppy dialogue and engaging characters, Humphrey’s novel is a bubbly read that stays fresh and fun. Her subtle exploration of the shifting dynamics of The Four is well-done, perfectly capturing the complexities and beauty of female friendships. Allie is a relatable heroine, foundering with insecurity yet capable of rising to meet even the toughest challenges. The only hitch in Humphrey’s novel is Jameson, whose Zen outlook and philosophical viewpoints on age, money and time are admirable yet seem a little too good to be true.
Grab a towel and some sunscreen—Humphrey’s novel is the perfect book for a sunny day at the beach.

Pub Date: June 27, 2014

ISBN: 978-1499231472

Page Count: 304

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: July 31, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014

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LOVE AND OTHER WORDS

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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THE LAST LETTER

A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.

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A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.

Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.

A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.

Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019

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