A Little Ray of Sunshine

January 1, 2023

In this follow-up to Audrain's New York Times best-selling debut, The Push, a child loudly berated by his mother at a suburban barbeque later slips from his window and ends up in a coma, prompting Whispers in the neighborhood about what really happened. After debuting with the all-star A Proposal They Can't Refuse, Ca�a cooks up A Dish Best Served Hot, featuring a single dad who falls for his daughter's teacher but jeopardizes their relationship with actions (undertaken for familial duty) of which she disapproves (50,000-copy first printing). In mega-popular Carr's The Friendship Table, four women working together on a highly rated cooking show join forces when they discover that their youngest member has an abusive boyfriend (200,000-copy first printing). When her mother, badly injured in an accident, asks Cornelia Brown to bring her the Northern Lights, a puzzled but obliging Cornelia sorts through her mother's secret past to figure out what she means in Watch Us Shine; from New York Times best-selling de los Santos (75,000-copy first printing). In Trinity author Hall's Reproduction, a novelist abandons a book about Mary Shelley that touches on her challenging pregnancies when she confronts her own painful pregnancy and childbirth and instead turns to writing a modern Frankenstein (75,000-copy first printing). The young man who walks into the Cape Cod bookstore where unassuming Harlow Smith works isn't exactly A Little Ray of Sunshine--he's the child she secretly birthed and gave up for adoption 17 years previously; from the New York Times best-selling Higgins. With the death of her husband, popular food blogger Hollis Shaw decides to heal by engaging in something called The Five-Star Weekend, which entails inviting a best friend from each stage of her life to a special gathering--in this case, on mega-best-selling author Hilderbrand's beloved Nantucket (750,000-copy first printing). Moderately contented Heather is surprised to find herself gobsmacked when a former flame finds new love, and friends Daphne and Tori have their own troubles, but in Mallery's latest, will The Happiness Plan of each woman work? In Monaghan's Same Time Next Summer, following the LibraryReads pick Nora Goes Off Script, Sam is hunting for a wedding venue near her family's Long Island beach house when she encounters Wyatt, the love of her life until he broke her heart at age 17. Following the LJ-starred The Messy Lives of Book People, also a LibraryReads pick, Patrick's The Little Italian Hotel features relationship expert Ginny Splinter, who's sideswiped when husband Adrian asks for a divorce and recovers by taking four strangers to Italy on the vacation she had originally planned with Aidan in the (75,000-copy paperback and 10,000-copy hardcover first printing). In Pride and Piazza's You Were Always Mine, a Black woman named Cinnamon is grateful to be leading a secure, quiet life when she causes an uproar by keeping a white baby she finds abandoned in the park by teenage Daisy, whose grandparents threaten to take custody. In this latest from the beloved Shipman, daring Mary Jackson is Famous in a Small Town in Michigan for her 65-year-old record in the annual cherry pit-spitting contest until modest schoolteacher Becky, determined to shatter her shell, lands in town and breaks the record (100,000-copy paperback and 10,000-copy hardcover first printing). When her parents die in an accident when she is 23, Cosima Saverio inherits their fabulous Palazzo and haute couture Italian leather brand, but she's all work until...

April 15, 2023
A 35-year-old Cape Cod bookstore owner is contacted by the son she gave up for adoption, and in being found by him, she finds herself. When Harlow Smith was 17 and in her first year of college, within the span of a month she started dating her first boyfriend, lost her virginity, and got pregnant. She made the extremely tough decision to have the baby--she dubbed him Matthew, her "little pal"--and give him up for adoption to Sanjay and Monica Patel when he was just a few minutes old. And she kept the entire thing a secret from her parents, siblings, and grandparents. Fast-forward almost 18 years, and a teenager who looks exactly like her brother comes into her bookstore. Harlow faints, much commotion ensues, and it turns out that Matthew has not only found her, but he's convinced his parents to rent a house on Cape Cod for their summer vacation without their knowing he'd tracked down his birth mother. What follows is a story about incredibly complicated emotions: Monica's love and anger and fear for her son as he tries to learn everything he can about his birth mother and her love for her daughter, Meena, with whom she unexpectedly became pregnant when Matthew was very young. Harlow's love for the son she gave away but thought about every day. Her parents' love for her, and their utter confusion about how she could have gone through something so incredibly hard entirely alone. Her 90-year-old Grandpop's unwavering love and support of her even as he sees the extreme pressure she puts on herself. And her friend Rosie's unquestioning love for her, and hers for Rosie. And, not to be left out among the multitude of other family members who are part of this story, Harlow's childhood friend Grady's love for his 4-year-old daughter, Luna, and Harlow's growing feelings for him. An uplifting story of love and gratitude--not to mention frustration, fear, and failure--in all forms of family.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2023
Higgins (Out of the Clear Blue Sky, 2022) returns to Cape Cod in this multigenerational story about the enduring bonds of family. Bookshop co-owner Harlow is happy with her life: trivia nights with friends, a close relationship with her grandfather, and a sprawling, quirky extended family. Then teenager Matthew shows up at her store and reveals he's the son she gave up for adoption 17 years ago. Spending the summer with his family on Cape Cod, Matthew hopes to connect with his birth mother--a surprise for Matthew's parents as well, especially his mother, Monica, who is nervous about her son's budding relationship with Harlow. Higgins deftly navigates her characters' complex emotions, including both Harlow and Monica's points of view throughout the book. The women's inner lives are presented authentically, allowing the reader to understand the mixed feelings of joy, fear, love, and guilt that both women experience. Side stories and romantic subplots add depth and humor, but the emotional journey is the star of this comforting-as-a-cozy-sweater story. Hand this one to fans of Susan Wiggs and Jennifer Weiner.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 12, 2023

Higgins (Out of the Clear Blue Sky) returns with her signature writing style that will make readers laugh, possibly cry, and think deeply about the role of family and motherhood. When Harlow became pregnant as a college freshman, she gave up the baby for adoption, opting to keep the case closed until the child turned 18. Now she works at her family's bookstore on Cape Cod, leading a quiet life--until her son, Matthew, walks in and introduces himself. Harlow is so surprised to see the son she gave up, she faints. Matthew's adoptive mother, Monica, is just as surprised when she realizes Matthew asked to come to Cape Cod on vacation to meet his biological mother without divulging the real reason. Throw in a possible love interest for Harlow when her old high school friend Grady returns to town, and this is a perfectly done novel. VERDICT Higgins tackles what it means to be part of a family and how family can look very different from person to person. Her signature humor sprinkled into a heavy topic makes this a must-read.--Brooke Bolton

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