Every Wild Heart

January 30, 2017
Top San Francisco radio personality Gail “G.G.” Gideon uses her show as a rallying cry for unhappy singles, proving to them that they can make it in the world, and thrive, without a significant other. After all, her own divorce nine years earlier was the inspiration for the show. Luckily, she has her 14-year-old daughter, Nic, and a genial relationship with Nic’s father, Tyler. When Nic suffers a traumatic brain injury after falling from her horse, Gail is determined to protect her daughter at all costs, even if it means not letting her ride, which devastates Nic. When Nic, normally a quiet, thoughtful and responsible girl, starts making reckless decisions, including a flirtation with the popular 17-year-old Lucas Holt, Gail begins to question everything about their lives and their future. Donohue fashions a sparkling story exploring the mother-daughter bond, with Nic’s lovely scenes with her horse and a possible romance for Gail adding extra depth. Woven in is the threat of a possible stalker, resulting in an interesting final twist. While the narrative at times borders on the saccharine, ultimately, it makes for a genuinely warm, uplifting read.

November 1, 2016

Gail Gideon became a national radio celebrity after she spilled vitriol on-air about her husband's request for a divorce. Now she's worried about falling in love, which could alienate her fan base, and about teenage daughter Nic. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2017

Donohue's latest (Dog Crazy) is written in alternating chapters portraying Gail, a successful talk radio show host, and her 14-year-old daughter, Nic, painfully shy but a talented equestrian. Gail's very public job means she attracts stalkers, but a new one is more menacing. Nic sustains a head injury in a horse-riding accident that appears to bring out the rebel in her. At school, she starts a relationship with an attractive older boy while at the stables she sneaks in to befriend and ride a forbidden vicious horse. Gail is worried about her daughter's head injury, her stalker, and what to do about her successful but limiting job. She chooses this time to start a romance with her daughter's riding teacher, whom she has known since her own teens. VERDICT A dramatic story about how we define and measure success and how the decisions we make affect those we love, culminating in redemption and hopeful new beginnings. With teen appeal because of the perspective of 14-year-old Nic. [See Prepub Alert, 10/3/16.]--Jan Marry, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2017

Fourteen-year-old Nic has always been shy and anxious-the exact opposite of her outspoken radio talk show host mother, Gail. But everything changes when Nic makes a rash decision and is thrown from her horse. She's a different high school freshman when she awakens in the hospital. Now Nic acts on her impulses, fearlessly quoting Shakespeare in class and pulling pranks on the senior bully. Chapters alternate between Gail's first-person perspective and third-person narration centering on Nic. Romance blooms for both mother and daughter, but a mysterious stalker tries to thwart their plans. This accessible, light tale includes an interview between Donohue and Gail, a playlist, and recommendations of the author's favorite mother/daughter novels, such as Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Megan Abbott's You Will Know Me. VERDICT A quick, gentle vacation read for fans of contemporary fiction writers such as Kristin Hannah and Elin Hilderbrand.-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.