A Moving and Unforgettable Novel of Love and Loss
March 6, 2023
In this multiple-tissue contemporary romance, Matthews (End of the Night Girl) explores the bond between sisters, the role of social media in society, and the way medical debt can cripple an entire family. Jodie Boyd’s family is paralyzed with grief after Jodie’s outgoing older sister, Bree, an influencer, dies of cancer. Adding to the stress, they are responsible for her enormous medical bills. Jodie takes on extra hours at the car rental job she detests but then is offered a deal: agree to publicly complete the bucket list Bree posted on social media and Bree’s Instagram sponsor will pay off the debt. Shy, passive, and social media–averse Jodie reluctantly agrees and heads to New York to take on the nerve-racking assignments—the most intimidating of which is “fall in love.” Luckily, her high school crush, Kelly Wong, who abandoned Jodie at prom but whom she’s always carried a torch for, reenters her life and makes that task a bit easier. Matthews creates myriad tear-jerking moments and puts a fresh spin on the somewhat tired bucket list trope. Fans of Josie Silver and Cecelia Ahern will be taken by this story of joy after grief. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary.
April 13, 2023
In this poignant novel, social media influencer Bree Boyd dies of leukemia, having amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, but unfortunately without health insurance. She leaves her parents and her sister Jodie in crushing medical debt. Nearly a year after her death though, a preplanned Instagram video appears in which Bree "announces" that she's arranged for a sponsorship deal for Jodie. If Jodie can complete Bree's bucket list, the sponsor will pay off the medical debt. All Jodie has to do is: 1) plant a shade tree; 2) take piano lessons from Mr. Wong; 3) eat a sandwich in a New York deli while reenacting a movie scene; 4) do a walk-on part in a Broadway show; 5) fly over Antarctica; and 6)--hardest of all--fall in love. Except Mr. Wong is dead, making the piano lessons harder to receive, and Jodie is still grieving the loss of Bree, as all of her late sister's followers watch her foibles on social media. VERDICT Matthews, who also writes as Amy Barry (Kit McBride Gets A Wife) and Tess LaSue, has given her novel genuine depth, with characters who grow and love together even when facing loss.--Jennie Mills
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