An often sweet and gentle romance, hampered by an awkward second half.
Istre’s novel presents a traditional love story about a generous Christian woman and a frustrated and grieving man.
Emma Grace is a devoutly religious nurse in Texas, whose heart has been broken too many times. After a romantic relationship with “a player” goes wrong, she relocates to Casper, Wyoming, where a hospital assigns her to a special patient: Alec Wagner, a three-time American Bull Rider of the Year who’s hospitalized as a result of a car accident that killed his brother. Emma Grace finds herself attracted to him, but she’s shocked to discover how his career has damaged him physically: “Alec’s upper body was covered in scars…and when she turned him onto his side, there were even more scars up and down his back.” Alec’s one desire is to raise his deceased sibling’s four children, but a stipulation in the will prohibits his legal guardianship until he’s married. Emma Grace agrees to marry him, although she barely knows him, and she feels “a blessing from God” the moment she agrees to wed: “Others would be shocked and probably opposed to this, but nothing had ever felt more right and brought more peace.” The first half of Istre’s novel is strong, with fully realized characters and descriptions that set a poignant mood. However, some aspects of the narrative feel awkward, such as the news that Emma Grace’s parents died in a plane crash, which seems shoehorned into the story. Still, the initial setup is engaging, but after Emma Grace reaches a turning point and puts her trust in God’s will, the story starts to depend too heavily on contrivances, and the character development feels less realistic.
An often sweet and gentle romance, hampered by an awkward second half.Pub Date: June 10, 2024
ISBN: 9798385023929
Page Count: 132
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.
Childhood friends, almost-sweethearts, a misunderstanding, and a funeral.
Blair Lang and Declan Renshaw were best friends who went on one date before a disagreement and an accident sent them in different directions after high school. Now Blair is back from college to be with her great-aunt Lottie, who’s dying, and to support her single mother in small-town Seabrook, California. Finding a job at a coffee shop puts her in the path of her former boyfriend, since he turns out to be its owner. Can the two get past their mistakes? The novel uses the popular second-chance romance trope, but Pham fails to energize it through interesting characters. Blair’s grief over her great-aunt’s death and her plan to help her mother are overshadowed by internal monologues about her feelings, the way her friends aren’t paying attention to her, and the novel she plans to write. Declan’s distinguishing characteristic, besides being a former high school quarterback, is his skill at building birdhouses. Unsurprisingly, the couple doesn’t have much chemistry; when they embrace, their “bodies meld like…memory foam.” The wooden characters, unusual word choices (“conglomerate of pedestrians,” “litany of plants”), and odd turns of phrase (“tension melting from his eyebrows like butter melting in a warm pan”) are almost enough to obscure the lack of plot development. What passes for stakes is easily defused when Blair comes into an inheritance that saves her from working as a consultant at Ernst & Young in New York—so she can write a romance novel.
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781668095188
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
A deep and moving portrayal of first love.
Two college students rekindle their relationship as they unravel the truth behind their breakup.
On the outside, college senior Bennett Reiner has it all. A goalie for Waterfell University’s hockey team, he lives with a group of friends in a luxurious off-campus house. He and his best friend, Rhys Koteskiy, have fathers who are retired hockey legends. But on the inside, he’s falling apart. Struggling with OCD, a shaky friendship with Rhys, and second thoughts about pursuing a future in hockey, the only thing keeping Bennett afloat is also the one thing breaking his heart: Paloma Blake. All dyed-hair and attitude, Paloma has built a bad reputation on the hockey scene since their relationship ended freshman year—but Bennett knows the real P. Underneath her promiscuous facade lies a scared and lonely girl running from a childhood of abuse. When they were together, it seemed like their romance was perfect, until Paloma broke it off without warning. Since then, Bennett has run to Paloma’s side whenever she needed him, whether she was drunk, lonely, or hurting, and now he’s determined to win her back. For Bennett, Paloma is his antidote, the cure for his compulsions; for Paloma, Bennett is her protector, her safe space. And though Paloma yearns to be with Bennett again, she’s not sure she’s willing to open old wounds and reveal the truth about her painful past. In the third installment of the Undone series, Corinne spotlights familiar characters as they navigate trauma, heartbreak, and first love. Bennett and Paloma’s relationship is raw and vulnerable, and their journey of relinquishing control is both necessary and inevitable. Their romance evolves as they open up to one another, and in return, the reader is rewarded with a love story that’s as lyrical, evocative, and emotional as poetry.
A deep and moving portrayal of first love.Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781668219423
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
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