An emotionally grounded romantic thriller with enough steam to satisfy genre fans.
In Wolff’s novel, a chance encounter between a pop star and a football player leads to a complicated romance.
Sloane Walker, the ultra-famous popstar known to the world as the Black Widow, has kept her defenses high ever since two consecutive boyfriends died under tragic circumstances. Although she had nothing to do with either death, much of the public blamed her anyway, fueling a narrative that she found that she couldn’t escape. Now, she has a reputation for being icy and unapproachable—the emotional armor she wears to shield herself from further pain. Her inner circle is small by design, and she’s determined never to let anyone else in. However, everything changes the night that she meets Mateo “Sly” Sylvester, an up-and-coming NFL quarterback, at a post-concert meet-and-greet. Mateo attended the show with his beloved abuela, a devoted Black Widow superfan. The moment he meets Sloane, he’s struck by the tension between her cold, calculated image and the vulnerable woman he glimpses during her interaction with his grandmother. Sloane is caught off guard by Mateo’s quiet insightfulness, and how he seems to see her for who she really is. Mateo feels a deep sense of responsibility for the well-being of his family members, and that fierce protectiveness extends to Sloane as he begins to earn her trust. He becomes determined to show her that love doesn’t have to end in tragedy. Over the course of Wolff’s novel, both Sloane and Sly are revealed to be well-developed characters, and the plot moves briskly. A sinister threat emerges, apparently from an obsessed fan, and readers will find themselves even more invested in the main characters’ relationship as the stakes grow higher. Sloane, who’s used to such unwanted attention from members of her fan base, is determined to brush off the danger—but this time, it feels different: more targeted and disturbing. As the risk intensifies, and Sloane and Mateo’s relationship threatens to derail their careers, readers will follow along as they decide if their love is powerful enough to survive the fallout.
An emotionally grounded romantic thriller with enough steam to satisfy genre fans.Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781649379177
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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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