Review by Booklist Review
Marjette Lewis is a fixer. As a kindergarten teacher, she goes above and beyond for her students, creating elaborate events for them and treating each one with special care. So when she sees her neighbor, Noa, sitting on her porch crying, she can't help but find out what's wrong even though the two women have never talked before. Noa's husband has died unexpectedly, and Noa is suddenly a widow taking care of her daughter, Esty, alone. Marjette is a single mom too, and they find comfort in becoming friends. When Marjette becomes Esty's teacher, the families' bond deepens to the point where Marjette finds herself falling in love with Noa's brother. Frank and Youmans (Tiny Imperfections, 2020) return with a sparkling story of unlikely friendship. Marjette is Black and Noa is Jewish, but they find commonalities between their two cultures while also learning about their differences. Marjette's light and funny voice carries the book in this complex yet sunny read. For fans of Annie England Noblin and Susan Mallery, this is a must-buy for public-library collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Frank and Youmans, who previously collaborated on Tiny Imperfections, develop rich, empathetic characters in a contemporary outing that's as focused on female friendship and personal growth as it is on romance. Black kindergarten teacher Marjette Lewis always gets excited about the new school year at her Oakland, Calif., private school. Though she's an admitted busy body, she's determined to keep her distance from her new white, Jewish neighbor, Noa Abrams, and instead focus on herself and getting her son through 11th grade without undue interference from her ex. But when Noa's husband dies suddenly and her bereft daughter winds up in Marjette's class, Marjette's resolve crumbles. She offers support--and home-cooked meals--to the Abrams family and finds unexpected kinship with Noa and possible new love with Noa's handsome brother, Max. As these neighboring families blend, the authors do a good job exploring the common ground between African American and Jewish experiences: the characters feel like real people with racial and religious identities that inform their worldviews, but don't define them. While Marjette's growth is the focus, siblings Max and Noa both jump off the page as well. It's an impressive feat sure to move romance fans and women's fiction readers alike. Agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Coauthors Frank and Youmans return with a second collaborative novel (following Tiny Imperfections) that highlights an unlikely friendship and a blossoming romance. Single mother Marjette Lewis meant to keep her distance from her neighbor, Noa Abrams, but the two women--one Black, one Jewish--are brought together when Noa is unexpectedly widowed. A kindergarten teacher at a private school, Marjette is getting ready for the opening of the school year, when she discovers that Noa's grieving daughter, Esty, is a student in her new class. Esty comes complete with a heartthrob uncle who has all the kindergarten moms drooling. Narrator Bahni Turpin depicts Noa and Marjette's deepening friendship, employing her chameleon-like facility for accents and voices to portray a wide range of characters, from Max, Noa's handsome brother, to five-year-old Esty. VERDICT Turpin's sensitive narration immerses listeners in Marjette's world, empathetically revealing her ongoing struggles to recover from her divorce and reclaim her life. A richly satisfying story that should appeal to fans of Susan Mallery, Susan Wiggs, and Debbie Macomber.--Laura Trombley
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