An amusing spies-to-lovers tale that’s more comedy than romance.
An introverted Washington, D.C., computer hacker joins forces with a handsome CIA operative in Smith’s first adult rom-com.
Dove Barkley is what you might call an honest hacker: All she needs is four minutes (and a Taylor Swift tune) to slither past a company’s security system and reveal how vulnerable their database is. As a self-proclaimed computer nerd, however, dating is the one thing Dove has never been able to hack. Her last date was two years ago, something her older sister, Madison, seldom lets her forget. As a travel photographer, Madison rarely stays in one place, but she’s never too busy to check in on her baby sister and nag her about getting back out there. But when Dove is interviewed by Sam Olsen, a broodingly handsome journalist, she can’t wait to spill the flirty details to her sister over dinner that night. Dove’s evening turns sour, however, when a man sits down at her table in the restaurant, hands her a briefcase containing a fake passport with Madison’s photo on it, and is promptly shot dead in front of her. In a series of Jason Bourne–level capers, she learns that not only is Madison a CIA agent who’s allegedly in cahoots with an arms dealer, but Sam Olsen is actually Mendez, the government agent trying to track her down. (“And your first name?” she asks him. “That’s on a need-to-know basis,” he responds.) Dove can’t believe Madison would switch sides so easily, and she agrees to work with Mendez to clear her sister’s name. Smith packs her tale with action, comedy, and perhaps one too many unnecessary similes. Dove is a relatable underdog thrown into a bizarre scenario: “My idea of a good time was more likely to include a sugar rush than a rush of adrenaline.” And while her relationship with Mendez leaves a little to be desired—his flirtation is often more inappropriate than charming—Dove’s determination to save Madison out of pure sisterly trust is a commendable character trait.
An amusing spies-to-lovers tale that’s more comedy than romance.Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593550304
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.
Childhood friends, almost-sweethearts, a misunderstanding, and a funeral.
Blair Lang and Declan Renshaw were best friends who went on one date before a disagreement and an accident sent them in different directions after high school. Now Blair is back from college to be with her great-aunt Lottie, who’s dying, and to support her single mother in small-town Seabrook, California. Finding a job at a coffee shop puts her in the path of her former boyfriend, since he turns out to be its owner. Can the two get past their mistakes? The novel uses the popular second-chance romance trope, but Pham fails to energize it through interesting characters. Blair’s grief over her great-aunt’s death and her plan to help her mother are overshadowed by internal monologues about her feelings, the way her friends aren’t paying attention to her, and the novel she plans to write. Declan’s distinguishing characteristic, besides being a former high school quarterback, is his skill at building birdhouses. Unsurprisingly, the couple doesn’t have much chemistry; when they embrace, their “bodies meld like…memory foam.” The wooden characters, unusual word choices (“conglomerate of pedestrians,” “litany of plants”), and odd turns of phrase (“tension melting from his eyebrows like butter melting in a warm pan”) are almost enough to obscure the lack of plot development. What passes for stakes is easily defused when Blair comes into an inheritance that saves her from working as a consultant at Ernst & Young in New York—so she can write a romance novel.
A romance that could have used significant rethinking.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781668095188
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
A deep and moving portrayal of first love.
Two college students rekindle their relationship as they unravel the truth behind their breakup.
On the outside, college senior Bennett Reiner has it all. A goalie for Waterfell University’s hockey team, he lives with a group of friends in a luxurious off-campus house. He and his best friend, Rhys Koteskiy, have fathers who are retired hockey legends. But on the inside, he’s falling apart. Struggling with OCD, a shaky friendship with Rhys, and second thoughts about pursuing a future in hockey, the only thing keeping Bennett afloat is also the one thing breaking his heart: Paloma Blake. All dyed-hair and attitude, Paloma has built a bad reputation on the hockey scene since their relationship ended freshman year—but Bennett knows the real P. Underneath her promiscuous facade lies a scared and lonely girl running from a childhood of abuse. When they were together, it seemed like their romance was perfect, until Paloma broke it off without warning. Since then, Bennett has run to Paloma’s side whenever she needed him, whether she was drunk, lonely, or hurting, and now he’s determined to win her back. For Bennett, Paloma is his antidote, the cure for his compulsions; for Paloma, Bennett is her protector, her safe space. And though Paloma yearns to be with Bennett again, she’s not sure she’s willing to open old wounds and reveal the truth about her painful past. In the third installment of the Undone series, Corinne spotlights familiar characters as they navigate trauma, heartbreak, and first love. Bennett and Paloma’s relationship is raw and vulnerable, and their journey of relinquishing control is both necessary and inevitable. Their romance evolves as they open up to one another, and in return, the reader is rewarded with a love story that’s as lyrical, evocative, and emotional as poetry.
A deep and moving portrayal of first love.Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781668219423
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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