New Uses for Old Boyfriends

February 9, 2015
The return to the seaside town of Black Dog Bay from Kendrick's most recent novel Cure for the Common Breakup adds to the highly charming adorableness of her latest. Following a bank-breaking divorce and ill-advised last ditch effort to hit him where it hurts by purchasing an expensive ââFU'-V", Lila Alders is forced to move back into her childhood home, with her recently widowed, mother Daphne, who never lets anyone see her without perfect hair and makeup. The time Lila had hoped to use figuring out the rest of her life while gorging on M&Ms and wine at the nearby The Whinery ends up being used to help rid Daphne of her penchant for brushing problems under the rugânamely, by forcing her to acknowledge her extremely tumultuous financial situation. With the help of a multitude of friendly neighborhood ex-boyfriends including Lila's first love turned property manager Ben and ex-Marine Malcolm, Lila ingeniously decides to use Daphne's stock piles of (expensive) vintage clothing, to get her mother out of debt. Lila and Daphne's road back into financial security and to becoming responsible for their own happiness is filled with witty banter, unpredictable trials, and most importantly, renewed love for things old and long forgotten. While the characters and some of the storylines from Kendrick's previous book do continue, readers will be just as taken picking up with this novel.

December 15, 2014
After her glamorous life falls apart, Lila Alders is left with nothing; she returns home to Black Dog Bay to re-evaluate only to find her mother in crisis and her childhood home in jeopardy. When Lila comes limping back to Black Dog Bay after her marriage and her career disintegrate, she looks forward to sanctuary and comfort. Instead she finds a financial crisis and her mother in denial. Exhausted and emotionally depleted, Lila rallies after she discovers her mother's treasure trove of vintage clothing from her young modeling days. Deciding to open a vintage clothing boutique, Lila reconnects with her high school boyfriend-now a prominent Black Dog Bay real estate owner and developer-and arranges to rent a space, then sets her mind to convincing her mother to part with her fashion collection. Both she and her hometown have changed. Her friends have moved on, she and her ex-boyfriend are more like friends than lovers (despite their best efforts), and Black Dog Bay has much more to offer her than it ever did in high school, including a whole set of interesting new friends and an intriguing new relationship with a man she doesn't quite remember from her youth. Enigmatic Malcolm has a mysterious military past, a high-security-clearance career and a wicked way with a sewing machine-nothing she ever thought to look for in a man yet somehow perfect for her in the here and now. Kendrick follows Cure For the Common Break-up (2014) with another enchanting, heartwarming Black Dog Bay-set story of reinvention and romance. Fans will be happy to see Summer, Ingrid, Dutch and other characters integrated into this story, and the return to the lightly magical town feels like a welcome vacation to a favorite resort. Kendrick has a light, breezy writing style that manages to take readers on unexpectedly poignant journeys with some startling twists and turns on the road. An astute and charming look at friendship, love and self-discovery.

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2015

Lila Alders's father passes away, then she loses her job as a TV shopping channel host. Weeks later, her husband announces he wants a divorce because he has fallen in love with another woman. Lila heads back to her childhood home in Black Dog Bay, DE. Running into her high school boyfriend might lead to a rekindled relationship; however, more urgent matters present themselves. Her father's business was deeply in debt and her mother dealt with her grief by going on a shopping spree. With the family's seaside mansion on the line, Lila convinces her mother, a former model, to open a vintage clothing store for the summer. When Lila asks for help from Malcolm, a military man with a talent for needle and thread, she realizes that her growing attraction to him might end up as something special. VERDICT After 2014's Cure for the Common Breakup, Kendrick returns to Black Dog Bay and its quirky residents with a humorous, entertaining and touching story of loss, recovery, and the priceless bonds of family and friends.--Joy Gunn, Paseo Verde Lib., Henderson, NV

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2015
After being dumped by both her employer and her husband, Lila Alders' current net worth consists of the pittance she gets selling her wedding ring and whatever she can pack into her SUV. So returning to Black Dog Bay to help her recently widowed mother get through the summer seems like a sensible thing to do. However, Lila soon discovers that her mother is in even worse financial straits than she is, and that means Lila is going to have to figure out a way to take care of them both. When she bumps into Ben Collier, the idea of a second chance with her first true love is tempting, until she encounters Malcolm Toth, whom she dated exactly once and quickly forgot but now finds she can't get out of her mind. Kendrick returns to the charming town of Black Dog Bay, last seen in Cure for the Common Breakup (2014), for her newest, perfectly tailored tale of love, family, friendship, and vintage couture. Kendrick's gift for creating endearingly flawed characters combined with her impeccable sense of comic timing ensure that her books will always be in fashion with discerning readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)