Super Bloom

April 1, 2023
A grief-stricken massage therapist agrees to help a romance novelist write her next book--but gets more than she bargained for. Joan Johnston works as a massage therapist at Vermont spa the Apex, and she's beyond burned out. Part of that is because she kind of hates her job (the demanding clients, the physical stress, the unpredictable pay), and part of it is because she's grieving the death of her beloved boyfriend. They may have been a couple only for six months, but they were planning to spend the rest of their lives together--and now all she has to look forward to is another day getting yelled at by clients. If she doesn't get fired, that is. Her boss, Tara, tells her that if she can't get a review from notoriously hard-to-please client Carmen Bronze, she's finished. Joan thinks her days at the Apex are done--until Carmen wants to strike a deal. Carmen, a prolific romance novelist, wants Joan to give her notes about the inside workings of the spa so she can use them in her next book about a massage therapist. In return, she'll give Joan a glowing review--and a decent amount of cash. Joan happily takes the deal, but holding up her end of the bargain is harder than she expected. Taking notes for Carmen awakens her own long-dormant dream of writing, and soon Joan is secretly working on her own romance novel. What will happen when Carmen finds out? Debut author Tady carefully balances humor and grief, exploring Joan's genuinely touching heartbreak over the premature death of her boyfriend while also giving readers plenty of her snarky internal monologue. The story is at its best when Joan begins to open up to the people around her--her co-workers, book club members, and even a favorite grocery store employee she nicknames Deli. As Joan works through her grief and attempts to restart her life, it's satisfying to see her realize how much support and love she already has. An alternately heartbreaking and hopeful debut about the importance of writing your own story.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 15, 2023
Joan Johnston is a masseuse at the Apex Inn and Spa in Vermont, where she battles the whims of her manager while still mourning the death of her boyfriend, Samuel, two years ago. Her job is on the line when she massages the extremely picky romance novelist Carmen Bronze, who agrees to give her a good review if Joan agrees to help her with the Project. Carmen needs a hit, and her next novel will take place at a spa, and she needs Joan to fill up notebooks with background information. Joan needs the money, but the more she writes for Carmen, the more she rekindles her own love of writing, and soon she's working on her own romance novel based on her brief relationship with Samuel. As she writes, she starts to open up to her coworkers and some new friends in town, and she realizes there may be life beyond the spa, if she can survive Carmen's wrath. Tady's debut is a delightful, if slightly uneven, tale of a woman coming into her own that will have readers cheering for Joan during the climactic finale.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2023

Massage therapist Joan Johnston is left unmoored after the death of her boyfriend, Samuel. Her job at the Apex Inn and Spa in Vermont is already on dangerously thin ice because of her attitude toward customers and friends alike. When famous romance novelist Carmen Bronze, one of the spa's most demanding clients, offers her a way to save her job (and help Carmen in the bargain), Joan jumps at the chance. Now Joan must feed insider information to Carmen for her next book; as she does so, she is inspired to write her own novel. Tady's debut is a tender yet hilarious novel of a young woman grappling with grief while discovering her talents and aspirations. Marni Penning provides a lively narration of a cast of eccentric characters, including grief-stricken Joan, high-strung Carmen, stereotypical Vermonters, and free-spirited hippies, all of whom bring whimsy to an otherwise heavy topic. Listeners are also treated to a novel within a novel as Joan processes her grief through writing. VERDICT Share with listeners who appreciate tales of women coming into their own, enlivened with just the right amount of humor, romance, and hope.--Elyssa Everling

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