A tremendously beautiful conclusion to this small-town romance series.
When two old friends decide to move in together, they’re not prepared for the feelings that inevitably resurface.
Bea Marshall and Merritt Young have been best friends since fifth grade. Their connection feels too strong to be broken, but when Merritt is diagnosed with cancer, Bea is forced to face the brutal truth that she’s going to lose the person she loves most in the world. Merritt’s death isn’t the only event that shakes Bea to her core: It turns out Merritt had harvested her eggs when she was first diagnosed, and wanted Bea to have them after her death. Bea always planned on being a mother one day, but this isn’t the way she envisioned it happening. When she realizes she needs to save money to begin IVF, Silas Byrd steps in to help. He and Bea have a complicated history going back to high school, when the two harbored feelings for each other but refused to act on them because of Merritt’s long-standing crush on Silas. When Silas offers Bea a room in his house, they’re forced to contend with romantic tension that’s never truly gone away. Meanwhile, Silas is dealing with his own issues as a firefighter recovering from the aftermath of an accident that left him scarred both physically and mentally. Neither of them is going into this temporary living arrangement with any expectations, but the longer they spend time in close quarters, the harder it becomes to remember that they should stick to being friends as a way to honor Merritt’s memory. The concluding chapter of DeWitt’s Spunes, Oregon, series isn’t just a love letter to the fictional setting she’s crafted or the characters who inhabit it, chiefly the Byrd family and those who love them, but also to her loyal readers; it’s hard to imagine any dry eyes after reading the epilogue in particular. Despite the heavy subjects the book navigates, including grief and post-traumatic stress, Silas and Bea’s dynamic is sweet and tender, and the author is utterly unafraid to dig into the vulnerability that makes this romance achingly believable and ultimately human at its core.
A tremendously beautiful conclusion to this small-town romance series.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9781250329462
Page Count: 352
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.
Best friends confront feelings for each other when they take a honeymoon trip together.
Francesca Gardiner and George Saint James have always been best friends—just like Jo and Laurie from Little Women, which they both love. Frankie has a big, complicated family and George was the boy next door who’d moved in with his eccentric grandmother. Their friendship survived childhood, awkward teenage years, and living together as young adults without ever venturing into the romantic—well, except for one kiss, but they don’t talk about that. When Frankie gets engaged to an older professor named Nate, George isn’t happy and a huge fight ensues. Despite his misgivings, George shows up to be her best man, but Nate leaves Frankie right before the wedding with only a cryptic letter. Devastated, Frankie goes to a friend’s house to recuperate, but her honeymoon is already planned and paid for—so she decides to travel to Tofino, a picturesque town on the coast of Vancouver Island, with George taking Nate’s place. Frankie wants to fix her friendship with George, but now that they’re in a romantic suite in a beautiful location, things are more complicated than ever. She’d always thought a relationship would be a bad idea, but she’s slowly beginning to realize they’ll never be able to go back to being kids. Maybe the only way forward involves forging a new kind of relationship. Fortune, the author of romances like This Summer Will Be Different (2024), returns with another love story full of longing and intense angst. The many allusions to Little Women are charming, and Frankie is a delightfully headstrong, feisty character. She and George have explosive chemistry, and Fortune manages to make the “will-they-or-won’t-they” nature of their relationship feel like life-or-death stakes.
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953242
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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