A sparkling story about love, family, and identity.
After rejecting her longtime boyfriend's marriage proposal, an Armenian American woman embarks on a journey to discover herself and what—or whom—she really wants.
Nareh Bedrossian has been drifting through her life for a while, but the truth is she's not very happy at all. Professionally, her boss at the local San Francisco news station doesn't respect her, either rejecting her ideas for stories or flat-out assigning them to someone else, and her personal life isn't much better. Her tech-lawyer boyfriend just popped the question, and the utterly disastrous public proposal is the wake-up call she needs about her dead end of a relationship. Enter Nareh's mother, who talks her into attending a series of upcoming events called Explore Armenia, not only to get back in touch with her heritage, but to find a prospective new relationship. Initially, Nareh goes only to pacify her mother, but as she goes to more events, she realizes it's the opportunity she needs to embrace a part of her identity she's been neglecting in recent years. There's also an unexpected development when she collides with a gorgeously witchy woman on her first night, and Nareh is bowled over by the fact that she might be more interested in Erebuni Minassian than any of the potential suitors her mother has preselected for her. As the two women deepen their connection over several Explore Armenia experiences, Nareh comes to the conclusion that she wants Erebuni to be a bigger part of her life. However, choosing Erebuni will also mean coming out as bisexual—to her family, to her Instagram followers, to everyone—and claiming every aspect of herself. Is she ready to take that leap toward true happiness? Voskuni's debut is equal parts comic, heartfelt, and profoundly rooted in Armenian culture, with a lead you'll want to befriend and a romance you'll want to cheer on in equal measure.
A sparkling story about love, family, and identity.Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-54730-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
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
This slightly smutty monster romance feels more like a spectacle than a deliberately paced story.
A woman travels to Scotland to unravel her late father’s past and meets a grumpy Scotsman with his own secrets.
Keyanna MacKay was brought up by a single father who was always tight-lipped about his upbringing, so when he dies, she’s left with no family. Key decides that learning about his life before he left Scotland would be a good way of keeping his memory close and perhaps connecting with long-lost relatives. She discovers a grandmother and other extended family in Scotland, but they’re hardly welcoming. “I know who you are....And you shouldn’t have come,” are the first words her grandmother says to her. Lachlan Greer has little patience for the American he’s already written off as clueless. When he witnesses Key’s snubbing by her family members, his grumpy demeanor gives way to begrudging pity, and he starts helping her navigate the local community and try to build a bridge to her grandmother. At first, this book seems to be a contemporary romance with light magical undertones involving a family’s mysterious curse, but it quickly devolves into a monster romance heavy on shock value. While monster romance can be fun, it doesn’t work here. Key and Lachlan’s chemistry is bumpy, and the pace of their relationship as they go from disastrous first impressions to a happily ever after is all over the place. Ferguson tries to combine too many elements—including a grumpy-meets-sunshine pairing, a mystery with sensitive family dynamics, and the complicated logistics of falling in love with a cryptid—leaving several threads not fully resolved. The setting is the most positive element, with Scotland’s lush greenery providing the perfect whimsical background for hunting down long-buried family secrets.
This slightly smutty monster romance feels more like a spectacle than a deliberately paced story.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593816851
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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