Too much of a hodgepodge to feel interesting or vitally new.
The 11th book in the Chicago Stars series features a second-chance romance between a down-on-her-luck actress and an NFL quarterback.
After suffering through a divorce and a miscarriage, actress Dancy Flynn decides to reclaim her place in the spotlight by appearing at a ritzy Chicago gala. When her ex-husband appears with his newly pregnant fiancée, Dancy panics and creates a drunken, humiliating spectacle of herself. Mortified, she impulsively flees to the Wisconsin home of her high school ex-boyfriend, Clint Garrett, now the quarterback of the Chicago Stars, whose address she finds on her phone right before the battery dies. Clint has avoided the press ever since his girlfriend was found murdered in his home five years earlier, and the last thing he needs is a celebrity trying to hide out on his property. Clint can’t help but pity Dancy’s pathetic state, though, and he agrees to let her stay for a week in the refurbished caboose he keeps on the property. Dancy’s arc consumes most of the novel, with very little time spent developing Clint as a fully rounded character in his own right. A series of unconnected events—Dancy rescues a dog abandoned on the side of the road, saves a woman from an abusive man in the grocery store parking lot, and finally tells Clint the truth about the events that led to their breakup—helps her recognize that she’s stronger than she thinks. Phillips introduces a host of complications into the slow-burn romance between Clint and Dancy; unfortunately, they leave the romance feeling scattered and unfocused rather than interesting and complex. The repeating plot elements and character types from earlier books in the Chicago Stars series make the romance feel a little stale, even warmed-over.
Too much of a hodgepodge to feel interesting or vitally new.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9780063248625
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
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
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.
A marriage on the rocks gets a second chance—with a science-fiction twist.
Dr. Emery Martín is happily married to her husband Luca…mostly. She’s been madly in love with him since the moment they met, but in the three years they’ve been wed, she hasn’t been able to focus much on him. To the world—including Luca—Emery’s job involves developing medical-grade lasers. In reality, she works at a supersecret San Diego lab that’s engineering a compound to bring mammals back from the dead. Although Emery doesn’t want to admit it, she can tell that Luca feels pushed aside, but she believes so deeply in her work that she has a hard time leaving the lab. When Emery is late for dinner—yet again—on their anniversary, she rushes home only to see Luca get hit by a car. She has the secret compound in her car, and she knows she could get in major trouble if she uses it—but what’s she supposed to do, not save her husband’s life? The compound has only been tested on animals so far, and there’s no guarantee it will even work for humans. It does, though, and Luca comes back to life—with one small caveat. He can’t remember most things, including his marriage to Emery. After almost losing Luca, Emery is now grateful for what she has, and she’s determined to show him that she can be a better, more attentive partner. While Luca may not remember her, their magnetic chemistry is still there. This may be the do-over they needed to save their marriage—that is, if Emery can keep the life-reviving measures she took hidden from everyone around them, including nosy neighbors and her own company. Lauren—the pen name of the duo behind rom-coms like The Paradise Problem (2024)—has created a unique hook that feels genuinely refreshing. Emery and Luca’s unconventional second chance is emotionally compelling, and the slight thriller edge as Emery tries to cover up her actions keeps the pages turning.
An extremely fun, fast-paced, and unusual addition to the marriage-in-trouble romance canon.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781668017753
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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