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
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.
Two people with bad luck in relationships find each other through a popular Reddit thread.
Emma Grant and her best friend, Maddy, are travel nurses, working at hospitals for three-month stints while they see the country. Just a few weeks before they’re set to move to Hawaii, Emma reads a popular “Am I the Asshole” Reddit thread from a Minnesota man who thinks he’s cursed—women he dates find their soulmates after breaking up with him, and the latest one found true love with his best friend! Emma has had a similar experience, which inspires her to DM the man and commiserate. She’s delighted by her witty, lively interactions with software engineer Justin Dahl, and is intrigued when he suggests that if they date each other, maybe they’ll each find their soulmate afterward. Emma upends the Hawaii plan and convinces Maddy to move to Minneapolis for the summer so she can meet Justin in person. The overly complex setup brings Emma and Justin together and the two hit it off, with Justin immediately falling head over heels for Emma. Jimenez then pivots to creating romantic roadblocks and melodramatic subplots centering on each character’s family of origin. Justin’s mother is about to serve six years in prison for embezzlement, which means Justin must move back home to care for his three much younger siblings. Emma was traumatized by her own mother for much of her childhood, left to fend for herself and eventually abandoned in the foster system. When her mother shows up in Minnesota, Emma must face her traumatic childhood and admit that she has prioritized her mother’s well-being over her own. There is little time devoted to Emma’s painful efforts to heal herself enough to accept Justin’s love, which leaves the novel feeling unsatisfying.
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781538704431
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
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