All Your Perfects

May 15, 2018
Named for an imperfectly worded fortune cookie, Hoover's (It Ends with Us, 2016, etc.) latest compares a woman's relationship with her husband before and after she finds out she's infertile.Quinn meets her future husband, Graham, in front of her soon-to-be-ex-fiance's apartment, where Graham is about to confront him for having an affair with his girlfriend. A few years later, they are happily married but struggling to conceive. The "then and now" format--with alternating chapters moving back and forth in time--allows a hopeful romance to blossom within a dark but relatable dilemma. Back then, Quinn's bad breakup leads her to the love of her life. In the now, she's exhausted a laundry list of fertility options, from IVF treatments to adoption, and the silver lining is harder to find. Quinn's bad relationship with her wealthy mother also prevents her from asking for more money to throw at the problem. But just when Quinn's narrative starts to sound like she's writing a long Facebook rant about her struggles, she reveals the larger issue: Ever since she and Graham have been trying to have a baby, intimacy has become a chore, and she doesn't know how to tell him. Instead, she hopes the contents of a mystery box she's kept since their wedding day will help her decide their fate. With a few well-timed silences, Hoover turns the fairly common problem of infertility into the more universal problem of poor communication. Graham and Quinn may or may not become parents, but if they don't talk about their feelings, they won't remain a couple, either.Finding positivity in negative pregnancy-test results, this depiction of a marriage in crisis is nearly perfect.

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June 1, 2018
Quinn and Graham meet outside an apartment where their significant others are cheating on them. They bond and eventually marry. The story moves between their courtship and a rough period in their marriage as they struggle with infertility. While the infertility details are tragically realistic, the sadness does not take away from the poignant love story as these two find their way to each other again after balancing on the edge of divorce. With Hoover's (Without Merit, 2017) evocative style, readers will experience the emotion of this story while sympathizing with both Quinn and Graham. Each makes mistakes. Quinn shuts Graham out and Graham kisses a coworker. Adoption is legally not possible for Graham, and medical issues interfere, yet they work through it all. Insensitive comments by others and the pain of siblings' repeated pregnancies highlight their difficult journey in vivid detail. Many tales about infertility end with a miracle baby; it is refreshing to find that Hoover takes a different approach.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from July 1, 2018

The latest novel from Hoover (It Ends with Us; Without Merit) begins when Quinn arrives early to surprise her fianc� Ethan at his apartment and finds a distraught Graham pacing outside the building. His girlfriend is inside, having a sordid liaison with Ethan. The rest of the novel is told in alternating chapters of "then" and "now." We see how Quinn and Graham eventually fall in love and marry. In the present, their struggle with infertility pushes them to the brink of divorce. It's half adorable, half gut-wrenching--and wholly a great read. Hoover captures the amazing side of a happy marriage, while at the same time connecting with the struggles of having one's expectations of "the perfect life" not being met. VERDICT Hoover's vast fanbase (they call themselves the CoHorts) will all be waiting impatiently to read her latest modern romance, like the very popular November 9. Buy multiple copies, because the CoHorts will be lining up--and rightly so. [See Prepub Alert, 1/22/18.]--Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018

In top-spot New York Times best seller Hoover's latest, Quinn and Graham are a picture-book couple, flawlessly in love, but what marriage ever goes perfectly? Little goofs and big secrets threaten their happiness; can they fix things before it's too late?

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.