1980s, suburban Westchester and the isolation of AIDS.
Fourteen-year-old June and 16-year-old Greta travel to Manhattan every few Sundays to be with Finn, their uncle. Finn is a renowned artist, dying of a largely unknown disease, and claims he wants to give them this last gift, though more likely it is the contact he craves. June and Finn have an intense relationship—he is charismatic and brilliant and takes her to special places; he is part magic and part uncle, and June adores him. Greta is jealous; she feels Finn favors June and stole her away. When he dies, June is devastated. At the funeral they see the one not to be mentioned: Finn's lover, Toby. June's mother refuses to admit him to the service and blames him for her baby brother's disease. Slowly, June and Toby develop a secret friendship, indulging their grief and keeping Finn alive through the exchange of memories. What she thought was simply Finn's apartment she discovers was their shared space, and much of what she loved about the place, and Finn, belongs to Toby. As she and Toby embark on Finn-worthy adventures, Greta is slowly falling apart, hiding in the woods drunk, sabotaging her chance at a summer stint on Broadway. Finn's portrait of the girls, worth nearly $1 million, is kept in a bank vault, and every time June visits (only she and Greta have keys) she notices additions to the painting that could only come from Greta. With Toby dying and Greta in danger, June lifts the covers off all of her family's secrets.
There is much to admire in this novel. The subtle insight on sibling rivalry and the examination of love make for a poignant debut.
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Pub Date: June 19, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-679-64419-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dial Press
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
Categories: LITERARY FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP
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ALL YOUR PERFECTS
Finding positivity in negative pregnancy-test results, this depiction of a marriage in crisis is nearly perfect.
BOOKSHELF
ALL YOUR PERFECTS
BY COLLEEN HOOVER
RELEASE DATE: JULY 17, 2018
Named for an imperfectly worded fortune cookie, Hoover's (It Ends with Us, 2016, etc.) latest compares a woman's relationship with her husband before and after she finds out she's infertile.
Quinn meets her future husband, Graham, in front of her soon-to-be-ex-fiance's apartment, where Graham is about to confront him for having an affair with his girlfriend. A few years later, they are happily married but struggling to conceive. The "then and now" format—with alternating chapters moving back and forth in time—allows a hopeful romance to blossom within a dark but relatable dilemma. Back then, Quinn's bad breakup leads her to the love of her life. In the now, she's exhausted a laundry list of fertility options, from IVF treatments to adoption, and the silver lining is harder to find. Quinn's bad relationship with her wealthy mother also prevents her from asking for more money to throw at the problem. But just when Quinn's narrative starts to sound like she's writing a long Facebook rant about her struggles, she reveals the larger issue: Ever since she and Graham have been trying to have a baby, intimacy has become a chore, and she doesn't know how to tell him. Instead, she hopes the contents of a mystery box she's kept since their wedding day will help her decide their fate. With a few well-timed silences, Hoover turns the fairly common problem of infertility into the more universal problem of poor communication. Graham and Quinn may or may not become parents, but if they don't talk about their feelings, they won't remain a couple, either.
Finding positivity in negative pregnancy-test results, this depiction of a marriage in crisis is nearly perfect.
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Pub Date: July 17, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-7159-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
Categories: FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP
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MAYBE SOMEDAY
Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable...
BOOKSHELF
MAYBE SOMEDAY
BY COLLEEN HOOVER
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 18, 2014
Sydney and Ridge make beautiful music together in a love triangle written by Hoover (Losing Hope, 2013, etc.), with a link to a digital soundtrack by American Idol contestant Griffin Peterson.
Hoover is a master at writing scenes from dual perspectives. While music student Sydney is watching her neighbor Ridge play guitar on his balcony across the courtyard, Ridge is watching Sydney's boyfriend, Hunter, secretly make out with her best friend on her balcony. The two begin a songwriting partnership that grows into something more once Sydney dumps Hunter and decides to crash with Ridge and his two roommates while she gets back on her feet. She finds out after the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggie—and that he's deaf. Ridge's deafness doesn't impede their relationship or their music. In fact, it creates opportunities for sexy nonverbal communication and witty text messages: Ridge tenderly washes off a message he wrote on Sydney's hand in ink, and when Sydney adds a few too many e's to the word "squee" in her text, Ridge replies, "If those letters really make up a sound, I am so, so glad I can't hear it." While they fight their mutual attraction, their hope that "maybe someday" they can be together playfully comes out in their music. Peterson's eight original songs flesh out Sydney's lyrics with a good mix of moody musical styles: "Living a Lie" has the drama of a Coldplay piano ballad, while the chorus of "Maybe Someday" marches to the rhythm of the Lumineers. But Ridge's lingering feelings for Maggie cause heartache for all three of them. Independent Maggie never complains about Ridge's friendship with Sydney, and it's hard to even want Ridge to leave Maggie when she reveals her devastating secret. But Ridge can't hide his feelings for Sydney long—and they face their dilemma with refreshing emotional honesty.
Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable characters and just the right amount of sexual tension.
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Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4767-5316-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2014
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP
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