An energetic romance that would make Nora Ephron proud.
Cyrano de Bergerac meets classic rom-com banter in this contemporary romp about the highs and lows of modern dating.
Miles Ibrahim is possibly at the lowest point in his life: His engagement is over, his ex-fiancee announced a surprise pregnancy, he’s forced to crash on a friend’s couch, and his freelancing gig of playing ghostwriter for online dating profiles is in jeopardy. To add insult to injury, Miles now has competition for the free day-old biscotti and large window seat at one of his favorite cafes in New York. Miles’ cafe interloper is Zoey Abot, recent transplant from California. Though both Miles and Zoey get off on the wrong foot, they have way more in common than they realize. They’re affected by the loss of trust from loved ones. They are firmly in the camp of “starving artist” as they scrounge and scrimp to afford rent and food in the Big Apple. They’re also both secretly wooing one another as dating profile ghostwriters for other people. Both Miles and Zoey are complex and lively characters who sizzle and spark when together, and getting to know their adorable family members is an added, heartwarming bonus. Miles’ parents are a Muslim and Jewish couple, and they adore their son to bits. Meanwhile, Zoey is still dealing with abandonment issues from her parents, who met in the Philippines while doing disaster relief; thankfully, she has a lovely best friend who is also her grandma. At times, the romantic pacing gets bogged down in the details of Miles' and Zoey’s larger social circles, like Zoey’s definitely racist boss, Clifford, and the persnickety boyfriend of Miles’ best friend. For those feeling the lack of romantic comedies on the screen, this book will undoubtedly scratch that itch with its excellent banter, secret personas, and slow-burn attraction between a hero and heroine vying for a table big enough to put down their laptops.
An energetic romance that would make Nora Ephron proud.Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4967-3065-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Kensington
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
An entertaining love story with moments of depth.
What would you do if you knew your romantic destiny?
When Daphne Bell receives a card that says the word “Jake” and nothing else, she’s pretty sure she’s about to meet the man she will spend the rest of her life with. In many ways Daphne is your average 30-something, with a middling career as a producer’s assistant in Hollywood and a loving family and friends. But Daphne has received a little extra-special gift (mandate?) from the universe: Near the beginning of romantic relationships, she somehow receives a note bearing the name of a man and the exact amount of time they will date. This began in the fifth grade with a postcard saying, “Seth, eight days.” Since Jake’s card lacks a duration, Daphne jumps to the only logical conclusion: He must be “the one.” When Daphne finally meets Jake Green, he turns out to be sweet and sexy and has the delightful quirk of jotting down in a notebook every time he sees someone wearing Doc Martens, so she decides to put her faith in fate and go all in. But, of course, it can’t be so simple. First, Daphne is hiding significant secrets from Jake. And second, there is Hugo (3 months), Daphne’s ex-boyfriend and current best friend. Although Hugo is always dating some woman or other, when he and Jake meet, the awkward encounter makes it clear that not everyone is okay with Daphne and Hugo’s universe-sanctioned breakup. Ultimately, it’s up to Daphne to decide how much she’s willing to risk to take control of her future. Nothing groundbreaking here, but Serle provides an interesting conceit and a healthy dose of wit that readers will appreciate.
An entertaining love story with moments of depth.Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781982166823
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
For readers who like romances threaded with operatic sorrow.
A bond that starts with a tragic death transforms into love.
Grant Shepard and Helen Zhang have a history—when they were in high school, he was driving the SUV her younger sister darted in front of, ending her life. When, 13 years later, they meet at a Hollywood studio that’s adapting Helen’s YA novels for television, their unresolved grief means a minefield of painful interactions. Helen has been ignoring her complex feelings of anger, sadness, and guilt, while Grant has struggled with anxiety even as he’s continued to be the popular guy in every circle. Despite her prickly armor and his polite facade in the writers’ room where they’re both working, the extended intimacy of the project forces them past the chasm of their past and into a new chemistry in the present. But Helen’s parents would never accept a relationship between them—would they? In her debut romance novel, screenwriter and director Kuang starts with high stakes. Helen’s absent sister and her family’s trauma loom over the sunny California setting, amplified by the protagonists’ individual visits to their New Jersey hometown. Though leaning slightly into commonplace images of Chinese American parents, Kuang avoids cliches about second-generation immigrants in her depiction of Helen. The potential end of Grant and Helen’s fiery sexual liaison gives the book the feel of a ticking clock, with Kuang coloring all their interactions with a sadness that signals the third-act breakup often found in the novels of Emily Henry (which Kuang is adapting for the screen).
For readers who like romances threaded with operatic sorrow.Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780063310681
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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