A warmly observed and well-crafted exploration of dating, friendship, and finding oneself in middle age.
A newly out lesbian searches for connection in Daniel’s queer romance about second chances and self-discovery.
Forty-seven-year-old S has divorced her husband and come out of the closet. She leads a low-key, pleasant existence in an unnamed Midwestern town. After she’s suddenly dumped by Z, her friends encourage her to embrace her “lesbian adolescence.” She agrees to go on 10 first dates. As S embarks on this mission, she tries to keep her mind and her heart open. Still, she can’t help ruminating on what went wrong with Z, or on the mysteries and vagaries of love, attraction, and commitment. She’s lucky enough to meet many intriguing and alluring women; she has lots of fun banter and hot sex, and her experiment expands and enriches her life immensely. Her situationships with the women she meets lead to new experiences and deep friendships. Still, S is wary of commitment and unsure of what kind of relationship she wants. She also reflects on her co-parenting arrangement with her ex-husband and her role as a mother. She fears losing her bond with her best friend, Amanda, who may be moving away. S’s story is told in vivid prose and includes sage observations about life and human connection. The protagonist proves to be an engaging companion—her self-reflection, self-knowledge, and self-acceptance as she tries to be brave and vulnerable are refreshing. Readers will find it fun and fulfilling to journey with her as she aims to “live in the present, let go of the past, and aim toward the future at the same time.” Her romantic interests are all distinctive and well drawn, and the evolutions of her relationships into meaningful friendships feel authentic and carefully observed. S’s obsession with Z, while seriously examined, grows somewhat repetitive, and the complete absence of any disastrous dates strains credibility. But otherwise, S’s tale is a charming and insightful exploration of reinvention and connection.
A warmly observed and well-crafted exploration of dating, friendship, and finding oneself in middle age.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798991212342
Page Count: 242
Publisher: Third Rail Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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