Review by Booklist Review
Schmidt's has been an institution in Rehoboth Beach for generations. Jack grew up at the restaurant, learning the intricate ballet of running a beloved restaurant in a seasonal town. But at 52 years old, the nostalgic allure of the restaurant has dimmed. The staff are unreliable, the patrons are pickier, and the money is never enough. A local restaurant conglomerate has made Jack an appealing offer; all he has to do is sign the papers and walk happily into retirement. But something is keeping him at Schmidt's, and it's not the early mornings or late nights. Joella turns his trademark empathy to the precarious life of a restaurateur, exploring the highs and lows of the service industry. Joella is unfailingly kind to his restaurateur narrator, contrasting the precariousness of his business and the fragility of aging with the excitement of an unexpected relationship. Fans of Jennifer Close's Marrying the Ketchups (2022) and Mary Beth Keane's The Half Moon (2023) will enjoy the inside look at a notoriously difficult industry and the relationships forged through fire.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The colorful latest from Joella (A Quiet Life) finds 52-year-old Jack Schmidt at a crossroads in his diligent management of his family's restaurant in Rehobeth Beach, Del., which he took over from his father decades earlier. When corporate bully DelDine, which has been scooping up dining establishments up and down the Delaware coast, approaches Jack with a lucrative offer, he's tempted to take it. Though his high school buddy Deacon and others urge him not to sell, Jack remains torn. Meanwhile, he rekindles his romance with former fiancé Kitty, and the narrative flashes back to the 1980s, when the pair fell in love as teens. Eventually, Jack enters into negotiations with DelDine, but revelations about the developer's true intentions complicate matters. The plot is predictable and sentimental, but Joella adds in meaty themes of gentrification, corporate greed, and the burdens and privileges of family tradition. Those in search of a feel-good summer tale will find what they're looking for. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Agency. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A lonely man can't imagine life after selling his family's historic beach restaurant to a corporate chain…and he doesn't know the half of it. Peppering his third novel with snatches from a (fictional) guidebook to the town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Joella again unfolds a story that illuminates the connections among people who have been in each other's lives for a long time, even as newcomers wander in to upset the apple cart--or, in this case, the crab cart. Jack Schmidt finds that perhaps he's just burned out enough to accept an offer from local behemoth the DelDine group, especially as it's delivered by a high-energy, charismatic, and somewhat weird woman named Nicole Pratt, a ballsy, low-boundaries-type character Joella has great fun with. Though Jack feels obligated to his devoted staff members, it seems one of them is stealing from him and another has a druggie son who has gone dangerously off the rails. Meanwhile, Jack's old girlfriend Kitty is in town to take care of her ailing mother and has a secret to share that will first break Jack's heart and then change his life. There's so much to love about this gentle domestic drama--the fraught bustle of restaurant life; the rhythms of a seaside resort town; the quiet importance of male (and feline) friendship; the often challenging relationships between middle-aged adults and their dying/difficult senior parents, particularly when they have dementia. For example, when Jack picks up his BFF Deacon from a visit to his mom in the care facility, he finds him unusually depressed. "I'm your son," Deacon tried to assure her when she said she was afraid of him. Her reply: "I hope not." Shardlike moments like this are what keep this book, so full of sentiment, from being sentimental. Both Joella and his protagonist show that nice guys sometimes finish first. About as dear as a novel can be. See you in Rehoboth. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
