Fast-paced but unsatisfying.
A woman’s crippling anxiety is cured by improv.
Hollyn Tate has a strong following for the New Orleans entertainment column she writes under the pseudonym Miz Poppy. Hollyn is grateful for her anonymity; she has Tourette syndrome, and a lifetime of teasing has led to social anxiety and panic attacks. Hollyn enlists the aid of a therapist, who suggests she force herself to interact with others by renting an office in a building offering flexible “space for the creative.” Hollyn’s facial tics are more pronounced when she meets strangers, which is why her first encounter with Jasper Deares, the cute new office barista, is a total disaster. Jasper is too worried about his own problems to think very much about the rude woman at his workplace, but that night he makes fun of her during his improv troupe’s show—only to discover she’s in the audience. Jasper apologizes and discovers she’s Miz Poppy. They strike up a tentative bargain: He’ll give her one-on-one improv lessons to help her manage her anxiety for an upcoming work project if she’ll give his improv show one more chance and an honest review. Jasper and Hollyn are well matched, and their friendship quickly morphs into a sexy and fun “friends with benefits'' arrangement. Unfortunately, the book’s melodramatic plotting—emergency surgeries, interfering friends, and meddling ex-lovers—means Jasper and Hollyn spend most of the book rushing from one problem to the next. Readers hungry for a sensitive, thoughtful portrayal of mental health issues might find it glib that a few weeks of improv classes, some well-timed pep talks, and a new lover could cure Hollyn of a lifetime of debilitating anxiety.
Fast-paced but unsatisfying.Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72822-961-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
Haphazard and undemanding.
A sports agent’s first official client is the man she dumped years ago in college.
After two years of hard work as an underling, Nora Mackenzie is finally being promoted to full-time sports agent. She’s worked hard, kept quiet, and allowed men in the office to call her Mac—a nickname she hates—all to show she’s a team player and “one of the guys.” Unfortunately, her boss instructs her to sign Derek Pender, a football player coming off an injury, who happens to be the man she heartlessly dumped in their senior year of college. Derek signs with her for revenge, seeing it as his opportunity to pay Nora back for callously breaking his heart eight years earlier. He insists she be at his beck and call: answering his emails, running his errands, cooking dinner for his dates. He also refuses to let her explain why she broke up with him without warning or explanation. Nora feels she has no choice but to acquiesce to Derek’s humiliating demands, since she’s worked too hard to let him ruin her dream job. She hopes he’ll thaw and they might become friends, but Derek’s bad behavior is designed to hide the fact that he’s still in love with her. Nora’s characterization is uneven, veering between anger at how she’s treated in the male-dominated field to immature bickering and bantering with Derek. Although Adams likely meant for Derek and Nora’s interactions to have an enemies-to-lovers vibe, the characters instead seem juvenile and stuck in the past. The novel is fueled by a string of tropes—second chance romance! married in Vegas! only one bed!—each randomly deployed to keep the book going despite thin characterization and wan plotting.
Haphazard and undemanding.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593723678
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dell
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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