Limelight

April 15, 2018

When Allison and her family--husband, two daughters, young son, and cat--move from Dallas to New York City, no one is sure it's a good idea. A number of issues keep her second-guessing her decision; to start with, downsizing from a house to an apartment proves more challenging than anticipated, from the too-small kitchen to the number of bathrooms. And her children aren't doing as well as expected either. Her teenage daughter had to leave her first love, her middle schooler falls in with the wrong crowd, and her young son is acting out in upsetting ways. After she loses her job and her replacement job, Allison is not sure she will ever be happy in her new city. Then a chance meeting with a spoiled Justin Bieber-esque star and the ensuing work give her a fresh lease on life. But will she be able to wrangle her charge and also keep her family from falling apart? VERDICT With well-developed characters and an engaging plot, Poeppel's sophomore effort (after Small Admissions) is sure to please the many fans of the her first novel. [See Prepub Alert, 11/26/17.]--Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 18, 2018
The stirring latest from Poeppel (after Small Admissions) is a fast-paced, smart look at life and all its unpredictability. Allison Brinkley is excited about moving her family to New York City from Dallas after her husband lands his dream job at a law firm. Once they’re in New York, an incident at Allison’s son’s school leads to Allison visiting musician Carter Reid’s penthouse, and she stumbles her way into a job as his personal assistant. As a mother of three and former high school teacher, Allison feels confident that she can keep Carter on track and get him to complete his run in the upcoming Broadway production of Limelight, a show he’s strongly uninterested in. But Carter has run off other assistants before, and she deals with plenty of obstacles, including an illegal pet turtle, a one-night stand who lingers, and Carter’s inability to learn his lines. The prose is smooth and clever, making for a page-turning, charming novel full of laughs and tears.