September 1, 2022
Young's (Much Ado About You) latest is an emotional contemporary romance. The digital files that event planner Hallie Goodman receives from her new bride-to-be's inspiration portfolio include not only mood boards but also some very personal messages from the bride's ex, Captain Christopher Ortiz, a Mexican American astronaut, recorded during his months aboard the International Space Station. Hallie wasn't planning on watching the videos and reading NASA's golden boy's transmissions, but when her return email bounces back, she begins to pen her own diary-like letters, thinking she is sending them into the void. When NASA IT actually forwards Hallie's messages to Chris, he begins to fall for the pink-haired woman via her confessions of family strife, work woes, and hope for the future. Both Hallie and Chris fall in love with the idealized person captured in their transmissions, but when they meet they must mesh their out-of-space expectations with their messy realities back on Earth. VERDICT Recommended for readers who appreciate exploring complicated family dynamics and a search for identity along with a romance arc.--Elizabeth Gabriel
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September 15, 2022
In Young's (Fight or Flight, 2018) sweep-you-off-your-feet, tender-hearted romance, pink-haired Hallie Goodman loves her job organizing high-profile events all over New York. Her people-pleasing, conflict-avoiding ways have her constantly appeasing her selfish parents during their acrimonious divorce, while her ex's scathing words still rankle. After a stint on the International Space Station, astronaut Captain Christopher Ortiz is back in New York. His popularity on social media lands him a book deal for his memoirs. Since birth, his estranged, domineering father has kept him from his Mexican heritage, which he now wants to explore. He still mourns the deaths of his beloved mother and brother. When Chris' thoughtful video letters from the ISS to his now ex-girlfriend land in Hallie's email, she compulsively watches them. In turn, she sends video journals about her life to Chris' NASA email, which he avidly views. Both are entranced with the candid personality unfurling before them, so when they meet, there is a sense of inevitability and instant connection. It seems that they are already in love, so the story is about learning to trust.
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