A complex and hugely satisfying contemporary romance between genuine, flawed people.
In Sherry’s novel, an embattled woman finds unlikely second chances in the wake of her mother’s death.
Feeling flummoxed and vulnerable, Lena Buckley is dealing with more than her fair share of life's troubles: She’s 35, without many exciting personal or professional prospects on the horizon, living in her family’s run-down farm house (where “everything here is edges toward broken”) and dealing with her usual anxieties, which have only been exacerbated by the recent death of her mother. She and her younger brother, Lucas, have finished sorting through their mother’s things, and he’s flown back to Malibu, leaving her alone in the old house with a million loose ends to tie up (and feeling like her entire life is one big loose end). Her dogged philosophy through all of this has been the simple goal that forms the book’s title, but even that often seems beyond her reach. Into this messy, muddled world comes local policeman Ben Wright, who, on the surface, appears to be Lena’s opposite in every way that matters—he’s orderly, in control, and efficient (and good-looking: When Ben pulls Lena over to give her a speeding ticket, she notices “his chiseled face seems permanently fixed on tough-guy-having-a-bad-day”). But he’s hiding some internal damage and conflict as deep as Lena’s own, as she slowly discovers when she decides that, after “three years of a stalled life,” she requires a change. When a twist of fate brings her into contact with Ben again, a guarded, awkward friendship slowly begins to grow into something more.
The author crafts the tale of this unlikely friendship in ways that are both subtle and surprising. The central factor in the utterly winning quality of the narrative is Lena herself, hapless but not helpless, sarcastic but not mean, loving to everybody but her own harshest critic. Sherry expertly varies Lena’s different registers, from biting humor (when a married couple wants to swoop in and buy the old family house, Lena notices of the wife, “Her serial-killer vibe matches her husband’s”) to merciless self-castigation (“I’m jobless, practically homeless, and destined for my brother’s pool house,” she thinks in one such moment. “I have absolutely nothing to offer, and I suck at relationships”). This produces the natural, unforced effect of making the reader feel protective, and it adds a sharp intensity to her beautifully rendered longing for something more (an “all in, unapologetic, honest love”), which she begins to feel for Ben. “There’s a soft moment in the empty space between us that edges on relief,” she observes, “like he’s jiggling the lock on the door I’m trapped behind.” Readers accustomed—maybe too accustomed—to the typical meet-cute, witty-banter, early-to-bed, early-to-wed template of many contemporary romances will find the emotionally complicated situation the author creates in these pages immensely refreshing; these are two far from perfect, believable characters slowly chipping away at the barriers they’ve erected against the happiness they want. When Lena observes that “falling in love is all about the little things,” this narrative will make readers believe it.
A complex and hugely satisfying contemporary romance between genuine, flawed people.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9798988725411
Page Count: 408
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance.
Two ambitious athletes plus one fake-dating arrangement—what could go wrong?
Though it’s only his first season for the Boston Bearcats hockey team, Robbie Corrigan has a well-established reputation as a playboy. He’s got major skills on the ice, and he’s also much more likely to love ’em and leave ’em than he is to build any long, meaningful relationships. Naturally, he’s just met the one woman who seems completely resistant to his charm: Skylar Page, a Boston University softball pitcher. When they meet over a friendly Saturday morning baseball game, Robbie instantly makes a poor impression by bragging to his teammates about his latest conquest within Skylar’s hearing. He thinks she’s gorgeous, though, and when he sets his sights on her, he’s surprised that she doesn’t seem to know it. Despite her initial distaste for Robbie, Skylar grudgingly confesses that she could use his help. If they pretend to date, maybe her current crush—her brother’s best friend—will finally sit up and take notice of her in a romantic way. The timing is less than ideal, since Robbie will have to team up with Skylar in the Page family’s latest wilderness competition, but it turns out that Robbie’s willingness to play fake boyfriend stems from some very real feelings. He wants to prove to her that he’s a changed man, and redeeming himself in her eyes starts with making sure she knows that she can really trust him. The latest addition to Bailey’s Big Shots series is a sexy, feel-good romance brimming over with the author’s trademark humor and dirty talk. While Skylar and Robbie’s dynamic doesn’t quite reach the level of enemies-to-lovers—he’s so head-over-heels for her that there’s no room for any real mean-spiritedness—their playful snark doubles as a welcome dash of foreplay in the lead-up to some seriously steamy scenes. Robbie’s efforts to show Skylar that he’s turned over a new leaf also result in some of the book’s best moments, emphasizing his commitment to becoming the type of man he knows she deserves.
Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780063380837
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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