09/09/2019
This lighthearted romance by Cabot (The Boy Is Back ) has dark undertones as its characters grapple with a ferocious hurricane and the aftermath of sexual assault. Feeling betrayed by her mother and boyfriend, who failed to take her trauma seriously, Sabrina Beckham fled New York for Little Bridge Island in the Florida Keys, where her family long ago had happy vacations. Now known as Bree and waitressing at a diner, she has adopted a cat and feels almost like she belongs. She thinks the forecasts for an approaching hurricane are fearmongering and refuses to evacuate, but soon the wind starts howling. She’s thrown together with her boss’s nephew, handsome carpenter Drew Hartwell, and their chemistry out-sizzles the electricity of the storm. Bree sets out to rescue the abandoned pets on the island, which helps her gain the confidence needed to cope with the past and envision a future with dreamy Drew. Cabot, best known for her Princess Diaries young adult series, shows that her work for adults can be just as frothy and entertaining. Though not especially memorable, this sweet novel will leave readers with a pleasant glow. Agent: Laura Langlie, Laura Langlie Agency. (Oct.)
"Meg Cabot keeps the girls eating … With a sunny island backdrop populated with loveable characters, this is the perfect sexy spring/summer read to lose yourself in, with a sweet good-hearted protagonist and a dependably swoon-worthy love interest who you just *know* smells good." — Bolu Babalola, international bestselling author of Love in Color
“Meg Cabot is best known for her books for younger readers, but her adult fiction is a total delight.” — Popsugar
“The ever-delightful Cabot charms in her latest, which is equal parts sweet and steamy. Animal lovers unite—this one’s for you.” — Booklist
“As in Cabot’s previous adult romances (e.g., The Boy Is Back ), our heroine’s wit and humor and determination to stay the course shines through in this breezy story that is a pure delight to read.” — Library Journal
“You know the woman who wrote The Princess Diaries series (and a dozen other series adding up to more than 80 novels for middle-grade, YA and adult readers) will deliver a happy ending, along with engaging characters, lively dialogue and plenty of plot twists.” — Tampa Bay Times
“Cabot has a long, successful track record of writing entertaining stories that allow readers to escape from the realities of life by bringing levity, wit and a host of surprises and happy endings to the page. No Judgments is further testament to her appealing, winning style.” — Romantic Between the Lines
"Meg Cabot keeps the girls eating … With a sunny island backdrop populated with loveable characters, this is the perfect sexy spring/summer read to lose yourself in, with a sweet good-hearted protagonist and a dependably swoon-worthy love interest who you just *know* smells good."
Cabot has a long, successful track record of writing entertaining stories that allow readers to escape from the realities of life by bringing levity, wit and a host of surprises and happy endings to the page. No Judgments is further testament to her appealing, winning style.
Romantic Between the Lines
Meg Cabot is best known for her books for younger readers, but her adult fiction is a total delight.
You know the woman who wrote The Princess Diaries series (and a dozen other series adding up to more than 80 novels for middle-grade, YA and adult readers) will deliver a happy ending, along with engaging characters, lively dialogue and plenty of plot twists.
The ever-delightful Cabot charms in her latest, which is equal parts sweet and steamy. Animal lovers unite—this one’s for you.
The ever-delightful Cabot charms in her latest, which is equal parts sweet and steamy. Animal lovers unite—this one’s for you.
Meg Cabot is chick-lit royalty.
Meg Cabot is a fabulous author.
Piper Goodeve delivers a clear and steady first-person narration of this charming story based on true events. Twenty-five-year-old Bree rescues pets of Little Bridge Island after a hurricane prevents many residents from returning when they planned. Bree accepts help from Drew, her boss’s nephew, but is determined not to fall for him after her recent breakup. Goodeve grunts as grumpy Mr. Hartwell, slurs in a Southern twang as the town drunk, and uses a steely voice for Drew. She is humorous as Bree’s cheery party girl roommate with a penchant for dirty puns and as Bree’s flamboyant neighbors with their “Oh, honey!” remarks. Goodeve is as convincing delivering a Siri-type voice giving weather reports as she is portraying a sarcastic and whining teen. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Piper Goodeve delivers a clear and steady first-person narration of this charming story based on true events. Twenty-five-year-old Bree rescues pets of Little Bridge Island after a hurricane prevents many residents from returning when they planned. Bree accepts help from Drew, her boss’s nephew, but is determined not to fall for him after her recent breakup. Goodeve grunts as grumpy Mr. Hartwell, slurs in a Southern twang as the town drunk, and uses a steely voice for Drew. She is humorous as Bree’s cheery party girl roommate with a penchant for dirty puns and as Bree’s flamboyant neighbors with their “Oh, honey!” remarks. Goodeve is as convincing delivering a Siri-type voice giving weather reports as she is portraying a sarcastic and whining teen. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2019-07-01
Bree Beckham needs to start over. After her boyfriend's best friend tries to sexually assault her, no one supports her—not even her mom or boyfriend. So Bree retreats to Little Bridge Island, the site of many treasured childhood vacations. She finds work as a waitress at the Mermaid Café and, after three months, feels like she fits in with the quirky locals. When Hurricane Marilyn heads straight toward Little Bridge, Bree decides to stay—despite everyone on the mainland encouraging her to evacuate. Like many residents, she has a good reason not to leave—her senior cat, Gary, who can't travel. Bree and Gary ride out the storm at the large, generator-powered home of her bosses, who choose not to evacuate because last time they did, someone broke into their restaurant and stole an industrial meat slicer. Bree rides out the storm in relative luxury, but when it's all over, she realizes that not everyone was so lucky. There's significant property damage on the island, but worst of all, the storm took out the bridge to the mainland. When Bree finds out that many owners left their pets behind, assuming they'd be able to come back in a couple of days, she takes it upon herself to rescue them. With the help of her mother, a famous radio host, she instructs people to call her landline if they have stranded pets. But Bree doesn't have to do it all alone—her bosses' nephew, the hunky playboy Drew Hartwell, wants to help. After her bad experiences with men, Bree swears she's on a man-cation…but Drew is pretty cute and obviously interested in her. Cabot (Bridal Boot Camp , 2018, etc.) creates a story that's full of timely issues, most notably the tendency of 24/7 news channels to sensationalize big storms. Through Bree, Cabot encourages readers to avoid judging people who stay behind in a hurricane to care for loved ones or protect their businesses. And although animal-lover Bree is initially horrified that pets were left behind, she quickly learns that many people had good reasons for evacuating without their animals. Written in Cabot's typically entertaining, breezy style, with tons of quirky side characters to liven up the story, this book will encourage readers to think compassionately about people who make hard decisions in the face of natural disasters.
A fun, fast, and romantic story.
