A woman gets revenge—and a whole new life—when her husband announces he’s leaving her the day before their son graduates from high school.
Lillie Silva is heartbroken that her only son, Dylan, is about to graduate from high school and leave their home in Cape Cod to attend college all the way in Montana. But she knows she’ll still be plenty busy—she has a wonderful job as a nurse midwife, family nearby (even if they have their problems), and, best of all, she’s about to surprise her husband, Brad, with a trip to Europe. But when Brad takes her out to dinner the night before Dylan’s graduation, it’s not to celebrate raising their wonderful son—it’s to tell her he wants a divorce because he’s in love with Melissa Finch, a much younger woman who recently moved to town. Lillie had dreamed of handling her son’s departure by commiserating with the only other person who really understood—but now she’ll be spending all her time alone. With a lot of free time on her hands, Lillie starts playing small pranks on Brad—like, for example, unleashing a skunk in his new home. It’s not all laughs, though—Lillie feels a deep grief over the loss of the life she had, one with a devoted husband, family holidays, and all the little routines she thought would last forever. She also mourns the daughter she delivered stillborn years ago and imagines how much less lonely her life would be if that daughter had lived. As she adjusts to being on her own, Lillie starts to reconnect with people from her past—including her former classmate Ben Hallowell, who was behind the wheel in a car accident that nearly ended Lillie’s life. And when she befriends Ophelia, Melissa’s niece (who lives with her), Lillie realizes that life still has plenty of surprises in store. Higgins manages to address a plethora of tough topics, including infertility and sexual assault, and give them the respect they deserve while also crafting a story that’s full of hope. With a blend of humor and poignancy reminiscent of Nora Ephron’s Heartburn, Lillie’s witty narration never obscures the very real devastation that she feels as the family she loved breaks apart.
A beautifully told blend of grief, hope, and humor that showcases Higgins at her best.Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-33532-1
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
Categories: ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
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Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
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After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
Categories: ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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