April 15, 2024
In this inclusive, pop-culture-forward romance, Everhart (Wanderlust) sends her heroine into the world of reality television. Cas Morgan works for Friday, a popular dating app. When she’s not running the app’s in-person events, she’s watching Hot Summer, a Love Island–esque British reality dating show about gorgeous people looking for love in a Cypriot villa. Then Cas’s boss announces that Friday has landed an organic marketing deal with Hot Summer and offers Cas a promotion if she appears on the show and makes it to the finals. Cas heads to Cyprus for an eight-week, high-stakes vacation with at least nine other people. Cas, who is bisexual and whose fiancée recently left her at the altar, is looking for career advancement, not love—but she feels an unexpected connection to Ada, a fellow bisexual woman. The two grow closer, but what will happen when Ada learns Cas’s true reasons for appearing on the show? Everhart has a light touch with both plotting and prose, and her heroines’ bisexuality is refreshingly unsensationalized. Meanwhile, the supporting characters—especially obnoxious contestant Brad, a mansplainer with a short temper—feel impressively real. This is one to throw in the beach bag.
Starred review from October 1, 2024
A dating app and a reality dating show combine to force one contestant to balance her career and her heart. Cas is promised a promotion at the dating app she works for if she can last until the final round of Hot Summer. A longtime fan of the show who's walled her heart up, she's sure she can game the system. Her plans stumble the moment she sets foot in the arena and meets Ada. Worse, viewers hate Cas's TV persona, but as her confusing friendship with Ada grows, the real Cas begins to shine through. The fans respond well, but is it her or the relationship they love? And what will Ada think of Cas's secret mission? Marisa Calin is a virtuoso of character voices. She gives each member of the large cast distinctive accents and unique personalities. Further, she's able to make Cas's inner thoughts fully relatable and real--and Cas is always thinking, fretting, and reconsidering. She uses this to especially good effect when performing Cas's reaction to her first kiss with Ada. VERDICT Everhart's (Wanderlust) latest is a perfect love story for cautious wounded hearts who need a bit of hope.--Matthew Galloway
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