Starred review from February 1, 2023
DEBUT Former child star Millicent Cohen-Watts has a lot going on. She's reeling from a breakup with her toxic ex-boyfriend and from the death of her elderly best friend. When a nationwide computer glitch grounds all flights, Millie finds herself forced to drive to Key West with Hollis Hollenbeck, her ex's former classmate, in order to reunite her friend's ashes with Elsie, the love of Mrs. Nash's life, whom she hadn't seen since World War II. Initially irritated with each other and their circumstances, Millie and Hollis encounter car trouble, a small-town broccoli festival, and other challenges that extend their one-night trip and force them to get to know each other on the way to completing Millie's mission. With a road trip, only one bed, and giant misunderstandings, Adler perfectly deploys her novel's abundant romance tropes. Alternating between Millie's and Mrs. Nash's stories, this laugh-out-loud funny contemporary will have readers swooning over and cheering for Millie and Hollis. VERDICT Adler's delightful opposites-attract debut is perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Christina Lauren; good for all public library collections.--Whitney Kramer
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 20, 2023
Debut author Adler combines heat and sweet in this charmingly offbeat rom-com. Former child star Millicent Watts-Cohen is determined to fulfill the dying wish of Rose Nash, her elderly landlady and dear friend. She sets out for Key West, Fla., to reunite Rose—or rather, some of her cremains—with Rose’s long-lost love, Elsie Brown, who is in hospice. She hopes to deliver the ashes before Elsie dies, but a major airport computer meltdown may foil those plans. Enter an acquaintance of her jerk ex-boyfriend, writer Hollis Hollenbeck, who is also stranded at the airport en route to Florida. The pair decide to drive together, and though perpetually sunny Millicent and curmudgeon Hollis make an odd couple, they bond quickly as the trip progresses. The author adds emotional depth by toggling between the present day and WWII, when Rose and Elsie’s forbidden queer romance first blossomed. Adler’s well-drawn characters leap off the page, and she handles difficult topics with grace. She also shows off her comedy chops in some laugh-out-loud road trip mishaps, including the leads booking a room at a Jesus-themed bed-and-breakfast and Millicent stumbling into the role of grand marshal at a small-town broccoli festival. This delightful debut is sure to find fans. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.