So Close

June 1, 2016

Amanda Luker flees her trailer-park life and finds a job at a South Beach hotel. Partying with the wrong group of guys one night costs her the job. One of those men, wealthy, handsome Pax Westerbrook, tries to help but only makes things worse. With no college degree and a younger brother depending on her, Amanda has to find a new employer. When she learns that the inspirational politician Tom Davis needs volunteers for his senate race, she joins his Florida office, making herself indispensable and landing a paid position. As Tom's star rises, the demands on his family and on Amanda grow. With Pax in and out of her life, her mother abandoning her family, and a potential scandal looming that could destroy the Davis family and put her work in jeopardy, Amanda faces some tough decisions. VERDICT The majority of this duo's (The Nanny Diaries; Citizen Girl) book is a great rags-to-riches story with a sincere, determined protagonist. However, it goes off the rails a bit as scandal and problems mount and our heroine has to shoulder more than her share of the blame.--Melissa DeWild, BookOps, New York P.L.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
The latest from the beloved duo of McLaughlin and Kraus (How to Be a Grown Up, 2015), first published as a series of shorts in Cosmopolitan, chronicles the journey of Amanda Luker, who rises from humble beginnings to become an aide to a powerful politician. Amanda is 21 and fresh out of a failed relationship when she first encounters crusading lawyer Tom Davis and his beautiful wife, Lindsay. Amanda is immediately taken with Tom's desire to help those trying to make ends meet, and she forms a bond with Lindsay after helping her through a minor crisis. Faced with the prospect of going home to look after her troubled family, Amanda instead opts to volunteer with Davis' senate campaign. When he wins the seat, Lindsay ensures that Amanda keeps her job. Amanda's career success allows her to open herself up to love with handsome, wealthy Pax Westerbrook, but when an indiscretion threatens to derail Davis' presidential bid, Amanda lands in a terrible quandary. Guarded, genuine Amanda makes a compelling heroine in McLaughlin and Kraus' most moving outing yet.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)