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Tag: contemporary romance

  • Spend Your Vacation With Noué Kirwan’s Frequent Fliers

    Spend Your Vacation With Noué Kirwan’s Frequent Fliers

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    The adult romances this summer have been checking all our boxes! We at THP love to explore rich stories and characters, and today’s no different. We’re excited to review Noué Kirwan’s latest novel, Frequent Fliers.

    Frequent Fliers by Noué Kirwan follows Melanie “Lanie” Turner, a woman who somehow becomes the best mate/maid of honor at her cousin Gemma’s wedding. Oh, and Gemma’s marrying Lanie’s lifelong crush Jonah. As Lanie travels between New York City and London to plan the wedding, she repeatedly runs into a handsome, no-nonsense seatmate named Dr. Ridley Aronsen.

    Can Lanie make things work with Ridley? Or will they just barely miss the right timing? We won’t keep you waiting too long. Here are three things we love about Frequent Fliers by Noué Kirwan!

    Cover: Frequent Fliers by Noué Kirwan
    Image Source: HarperCollins Publishers

    Book Overview: Frequent Fliers

    Content Warnings: parental abandonment, parental neglect, anxiety, and panic attacks, mention of partner death, mention of terminal disease, divorce, mention of cheating

    Summary: Lanie Turner has some loose ends:
    – A 
    nearly complete PhD.
    – A job she 
    basically enjoys.
    – And a lifelong crush…that she’s 
    almost gotten over.

    On a trip to reunite with her family in England—and said crush, Jonah—Lanie intends to take care of one of those items. Her favorite cousin, Gemma, is engaged…to Jonah. And they want Lanie to be both their maid of honor and best “mate” at the wedding. It’s the perfect opportunity to prove the pitying gazes wrong: she’s over Jonah. Really.

    As Lanie travels between New York City and London to help with wedding prep, she befriends her handsome seatmate. Dr. Ridley Aronsen—a widower and single father—is prickly at first, but feisty Lanie reminds him of a more carefree time in his life. And after a steamy layover in Iceland, the pair take a direct flight from seatmates to lovers. Ridley even agrees to be her plus-one for the wedding. For once, everything seems to be falling into place.

    But Lanie’s used to getting hurt, and Ridley finds opening up difficult. How will a long-distance relationship even work once Lanie’s back in NYC permanently? It’s easy enough to let one more loose thread unravel…after all, life’s problems seem tiny from thirty-five thousand feet in the air.

    Tough Conversations

    We absolutely love Frequent Fliers for the way it addresses finding love after loss. It’s been almost three years since Ridley lost his wife, Thyra. Then, when he meets Lanie, he hesitates to open up about his family and reveal the truth about his late wife and 14-year-old daughter, Beatrix. But Ridley starts to care for and love Lanie faster than he can tell Bea. And the reality is this: introducing a new partner to his daughter takes a lot more difficult conversations, parenting, and breakdowns than he could’ve expected.

    Lanie’s Development

    The main character’s development is our next reason for loving Noué Kirwan’s Frequent Fliers. Lanie’s past relationships have taught her not to expect the good in people. She’s gotten used to people finding any reason not to be with her anymore. But Lanie learns that she needs to love and value herself and be the most important person in her life before committing to someone else. Lanie’s romance with Ridley shows that someone loves her enough to stay and find her no matter where she goes.

    The Wedding

    Are we suckers for big wedding celebrations in books? Yes, and we have no shame in admitting that! Gemma and Jonah’s wedding in Frequent Fliers comes and goes with minimal issues, thanks to Lanie being at the helm. But the whole time, she’s anxiously awaiting Ridley’s response after she confessed her love in a drunken voicemail. We love that the author didn’t skip to the end immediately after the wedding and actually took more time to develop Lanie and Ridley’s relationship and find its true happy ending.

    Noué Kirwan’s Frequent Fliers offers us a unique, emotional, and relatable story about showing up for loved ones and finding love after loss.

    Frequent Fliers by Noué Kirwan is out August 13th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!

    What do you think about Noué Kirwan’s Frequent Fliers? Do you have it on your TBR? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

    Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NOUÉ KIRWAN:
    INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE

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    Julie Dam

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  • Book Review: Cursed Boys And Broken Hearts By Adam Sass

    Book Review: Cursed Boys And Broken Hearts By Adam Sass

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    There’s just something about summer romances that can cure a reading slump. Adam Sass is back with his latest YA romance, Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts! And we needed to get our hands on a review copy.

    Before we jump into the review, let’s go over some Easter eggs we found in Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts. Our main character Grant Rossi’s ex-boyfriend, Micah Summers, is the same character as the protagonist from Adam Sass’s The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers. We love this tie-in! And the concept of a cursed rose in this book parallels Prince Adam/the Beast’s curse in the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast.

    From LGBTQIA+ representation to addressing teen depression and therapy, we fell in love with this summer read. Here are three things we love about Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts!

    Cover: Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass
    Image Source: Penguin Random House

    Book Overview: Cursed Boys And Broken Hearts

    Content Warnings: homophobia, depression, mention of grandparent deaths, divorce, trauma

    Summary: Grant Rossi is never getting a happily-ever-after.

    Ever since he was a kid and made a wish on his family’s iconic Wishing Rose, his romantic relationships have been cursed to end. Following his most recent (and extremely public) dumping, Grant is languishing in a hot Chicago summer, abandoning his beloved design projects to sink back into depression. But when his family suggests spending the summer helping his aunt and uncle refurbish their beautiful but rundown B&B and vineyard—the home of the Wishing Rose that changed everything for him—Grant decides to accept. Maybe he can finally find a way to recover his creative spark…and break his curse. 

    But things at the vineyard are not what Grant expects. The place is in almost total disrepair, and—even worse—the person his relatives hired to help is his former childhood crush, Ben—the first boy who broke his heart.  

    As their chemistry sparks and the summer heats up, the wedge between them can’t be ignored. But while they race to restore the B&B in time for the beloved local rose festival, grumpy but lovable Ben starts to break through Grant’s carefully crafted defenses. Can Grant find a way to overcome his curse and open his heart, even when it’s broken?

    Grant’s Character Development

    In the beginning of Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts, Grant Rossi fully believes that he’s cursed. That he’s the reason why his relationships never last long. But after weeks of staying with his aunt and uncle at the Vero Roseto Garden Inn & Vineyard, he’s able to reevaluate his curse. It’s taken him five years to find out what really happened between his ex-boyfriend, Hutch, and longtime crush, Ben, when they were 13. As he starts to trust himself not to “ruin” things, he can finally break his curse. And we couldn’t be more proud!

    Aunt Ro

    We all have those nosy relatives who mean well, right? Well, Grant’s Aunt Ro won us over with her lovely personality. She’s been running the B&B and vineyard ever since her mother passed, even when it’s in danger of closing down. And she’s been a safe space and supportive of Grant through everything. It’s partly thanks to her meddling that Grant and Ben find their way back to each other. Aunt Ro and her husband Paul have such a sweet marriage. We were gushing over them almost as much as the main love interests.

    The Rose Festival

    Maybe we’re too much of a romantic, but seeing Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts culminate with the annual Rose Festival healed us. We can only imagine how breathtaking Grant’s flower gown designs looked, along with the centerpiece for the Wishing Rose bush. The atmosphere feels so dreamy, and we wish to experience something similar in our lifetime. We also loved the full-circle ending between Grant and Ben as they make another wish with the Wishing Rose. Only this time, they have a better understanding of themselves and are learning how to be a couple for real.

    Adam Sass outdoes himself with Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts, a deeply personal and complex second chance romance that made us feel all the emotions!

    Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass releases July 16th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!

    What do you think of Adam Sass’s Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts? Is it one of your favorite books by Adam Sass yet? Let us know on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram!

    Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADAM SASS:
    FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE

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    Julie Dam

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