Showing posts with label Relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Relationships. Show all posts

Modern Romance

 I Take You by Eliza Kennedy

Lily Wilder is getting married in six days to a man who really lights her fire, but she still has one big decision to make: does she actually want to get married? Lily is a lawyer who loves her job, enough to be excited about working a huge environmental case the week of her wedding in Key West. But prepping a witness is only one of many distractions keeping Lily from figuring out her true feelings: "Do I want to call this off?...Do I love Will?" Is she capable of being faithful, and does she even want to be? Will is a sexy nerd who speaks multiple languages and works as a curator at the Met in New York. He's essentially perfect. But as Lily's mom reminds her, "You're such a…a free spirit!" That's putting it mildly. Lily's comfortable downing vodka for breakfast. She gives her wedding planner—who is a special kind of kooky—hell just for her own amusement. And she'll find a hot stranger to make out with within five minutes of being left alone. But, despite a difficult past and the judgment of her peers, she likes who she is. In Kennedy's debut, career takes a back seat to exploring the benefits of an unconventional love life. In this whirlwind story, which reads not unlike a quickie engagement, the ultimate question is whether one can be both promiscuous and in love. Lily, basking in the glow of Key West's free-love attitude, is guided toward yes. This book has the effect of three Bloody Marys at brunch: it'll leave you flushed, giddy, and prepared to embrace your wild side. (Kirkus Reviews)

The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer
The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer

Everything is better at the beach—even divorce—in the bestselling author's (Nantucket Sisters, 2014, etc.) latest love story set in Nantucket.When Sophie's husband announces that he's leaving her for a younger colleague at his architecture firm, Sophie packs up their two children and heads to her friend Susie's sprawling guest cottage for the summer. What she doesn't know is that Susie's cousin Sven has simultaneously rented the house to his friend Trevor and Trevor's son, Leo. With no contracts to settle the dispute, Sophie and Trevor amicably decide to share the space. Though their chemistry is palpable, Sophie isn't prepared for a fling with a younger man. Trevor's wife, Tallulah, was a self-absorbed actress who died of a drug overdose, but he doesn't portray her as a villain. Though she wasn't a traditional mother, Leo adored her. Skipping ahead to the happy ending, the two broken families fall into a pleasant routine of beach combing and sharing meals against the beautiful backdrop of the East Coast. Sophie's emotional maturity is her greatest asset as she reconciles her feelings of relief with the hurt she expected to feel about her divorce. When her friend Angie seduces Trevor one night, Sophie takes it in stride, and she's not offended when Trevor's vegetarian friend, Candace, scolds her for serving meat. Instead, Sophie takes up the piano after years of silence and grows out her hair. She is so detached from her crush on Trevor that when the more age-appropriate Hristo offers her a ride on his yacht, she accepts without worrying about Trevor's feelings. Trevor, however, has other plans for her future. It's a pleasant escape to a state of mind in which rebuilding a life is as simple as pitching an umbrella and spreading out a towel. (Kirkus Reviews)


Just for Fun


Us by David NichollsSomeday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren GrahamMaybe This Time by Jennifer CrusieOne Plus One by Jojo Moyes

Us by David Nicholls
Nicholls brings his trademark wit and wisdom to this by turns hilarious and heartbreaking examination of a long-term marriage. Biochemist Douglas Petersen is about to embark on a "grand tour" of Europe with his artistic wife of 25 years, Connie, and his temperamental 17-year-old son, Albie, who is about to leave for college. But on the eve of their departure, his wife tells him that, after the trip, she wants a divorce. A shocked Douglas hatches a scheme to win back his wife and repair his fractious relationship with his son. Traveling from the museums of Paris and Amsterdam to the beaches of Spain, the Petersen family struggle to regain their equilibrium, but Douglas' determination to "have fun," complete with an ironclad itinerary, leads to spectacular fights, hurt feelings, and simmering tensions, all of which are conveyed by Nicholls with both humor and a deep compassion for human frailty. As Douglas looks back in longing on the couple's first heady days of love and courtship, he struggles to maintain his touching optimism for the future of their marriage. This tender novel will further cement Nicholls' reputation as a master of romantic comedy. (Booklist *Starred Review*)

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
Actor Graham (Gilmore Girls, Parenthood) turns to a new creative outlet with her breezy first novel set in the demoralizing if funny bustle of New York City's 1995 acting world. Twenty something Franny Banks is destined to act, if she can can actually land a decent audition and an even more decent part. Able to pay her rent since she snagged a coveted comedy-club waitressing job, Franny lives the typical life of a struggling actor as she tries to balance finding a good agent, going to auditions, making a splash in her acting class, and keeping her disliked if much-needed job while fretting over the looming self-imposed deadline of three years to make it on Broadway. Her roommates, good pal Jane and wannabe writer Dan, play her foils as she also deals with family issues and the very enticing James Franklin, from her acting class. A jaunty style and cutesy Filofax entries mark this as light yet enjoyable reading. (Booklist Reviews)

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
Entreated by her ex-husband to help with two orphans recently placed in his custody, closure-seeking Andie discovers the task to be much harder than anticipated in light of the orphans' delinquent antics, a haunting and Andie's rekindled feelings. (Publisher Summary)

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
One Plus One equals one fine novel. With its ensemble cast of skillfully crafted characters—from single-mom Jess Thomas to tortured goth teen Nicky and gifted sister Tanzie to Ed Nicholls, technology millionaire—each person's story flows on its own, yet they all meld together into an uncommonly good story about family, trust, and love. Moyes gets things rolling as this hysterically mismatched mélange—along with Norman, a slobbering 80-pound dog of "indeterminate" breed—embarks on a road trip from the English shore to Aberdeen, Scotland, so that Tanzie can compete in a maths "Olympiad." Her ability to enroll in a prestigious school rides on whether she can win the competition's cash prize. She's certainly earned the best education; her family just can't afford it. In a riotous twist and momentary lapse of good sense, Ed volunteers his "top-of-the-range" Audi, complete with his services as driver. There are high jinks galore as perhaps one-too-many gastrointestinal problems arise, but, in all, the trip, with what Ed perceives as its terrifying "boundarylessness," delivers on its promise, just not in the way anyone anticipated. (Booklist *Starred Review*)