An uneven entry into the STEM romance subgenre.
Business and pleasure mix when an engineer discovers her icy boss is actually the charming gamer she’s bonded with online.
Elizabeth Gordon-Bettencourt is starting over. She’s setting boundaries with her family and taking the first step toward her dream job as a civil engineer by accepting a competitive internship. But since her stepfather is chief executive of one of the country’s largest movie production companies, she’s worried that her name is the reason she got the internship. Lincoln Carden prefers to work alone and isn’t thrilled about having to manage an intern. He’s no-nonsense and makes it clear he finds Elizabeth to be an extra responsibility he didn’t sign up for. What Elizabeth and Lincoln don’t realize is that they’ve already built a years-long friendship and flirtation in online gaming spaces. Elizabeth is pretty much the same online and in person, but Lincoln feels more confident with the anonymity his username affords him. No amount of prodding by Elizabeth (@pancakesareelite) has been successful in getting Lincoln (@theanswerisno) to meet up in person or even exchange photos. The couple’s tension at work combined with their secret online identities add some sizzle to this slow-burn romance, but the settings and lopsided characterization are a major distraction. The gaming elements are disappointingly thin, mainly a bunch of pop culture references and chat exchanges at the start of each chapter instead of a fully fleshed-out part of Lincoln and Elizabeth’s relationship. The chats rarely paint a larger picture of what their online community looks or feels like. Then, in the physical world, the power imbalance between the characters and the hostile work environment, in which Elizabeth is the victim of repeated harassment, casts a shadow over the story. Lincoln’s difficulties with ADHD are impactful and relatable, but Elizabeth’s family struggles and personal challenges aren’t treated with the same depth and detail.
An uneven entry into the STEM romance subgenre.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781538768402
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.
A single mom winds up fake dating an incredibly wealthy man in her hometown.
Dolly Brick is back in her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to help her dad and disabled brother manage their house and family business. As a 39-year-old single mother with multiple jobs—which now include working at the Brick Fish House—Dolly is always busy. When her mom left their family years ago, Dolly took over caring for her siblings and father and never really stopped. When she runs into Stewart Whitfield after making a shrimp delivery to his family’s mansion, she doesn’t think they could be more different. She’s had to figure out how to do everything by herself, and he can’t even change a tire. That’s why Stewart’s proposal that she pretend to be his girlfriend feels so unbelievable—but it comes with a hefty check that she desperately needs for home repairs. So she becomes the fake girlfriend of Stewart Whitfield (as in, the Whitfields her town is named after; his real fiancée just dumped him and it’s a bad time for him to be single) and experiences what it’s like to walk into fancy buildings through the front door instead of the service entrance. More than the boats and helicopter and expensive dinners, though, Dolly is impressed by what a kind man Stewart is—and how it feels to let someone else take care of her for a change. Soon, their relationship starts to feel more real than fake. Monaghan creates an impossibly winning story with a charming, lovable heroine. Dolly is capable, hardworking, and will do anything for the people she loves. She and Stewart both possess real flaws, and while their relationship begins with one of the most beloved rom-com tropes, their challenges feel like realistic adult obstacles rather than easily solved miscommunications. It’s also refreshing that, even though Dolly must learn to allow other people to help her, she never views her caretaking responsibilities as burdens. She deeply loves her family, and that love carries through the entire story.
A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9780593853979
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.
A happily engaged woman is pulled back to her hometown—and her first love—when tragedy strikes.
Billie Wright is living her dream, running a thriving fertility clinic in New York City and engaged to a wonderful trauma surgeon named Dean. Her happily-ever-after meant giving up her life in Wisconsin, where she left behind many friends as well as her high school sweetheart, Mick. Although they’d been deeply in love, when Billie’s ambition pulled her away from home and toward the city, Mick couldn’t handle either the distance or her busy schedule. Billie has finally moved on from that heartbreak—but then she receives a phone call from Mick, the first communication between them in years. Her best friend, Erin, died in a car accident, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Now Billie must return home to help sort Erin’s affairs and provide some kind of comfort to Phoebe while grieving the loss of her best friend. Of course, being back home also means being in close contact with Mick. Their feelings for each other may not have ever gone away, and their proximity leads to big decisions for Billie. Can she ever reconcile her current life in Manhattan with her past in Wisconsin? And which one will be her future? Giffin knows how to do drama, and she ratchets up the stakes with every page as she continues to reveal new obstacles for Billie. The ending wraps up quite neatly, but the nostalgia-filled ride is full of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages.
A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780593600320
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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