READ THIS: Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
DEDICATION RE-RELEASED WITH NEW FAN-VOTED COVER!
WHAT IF THE HIGHSCHOOL CRUSH WHO BROKE YOUR HEART BECAME AMEGA-ROCK STAR AND EVERY SMASH HIT WAS ABOUT YOU?
BY BESTSELLING AUTHORS EMMA MCLAUGHLIN AND NICOLA KRAUS OF
THE NANNY DIARIES AND NANNY RETURNS
If you read Whom You Know, you KNOW we love Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Recently we reviewed The Nanny Returns:http://www.whomyouknow.com/2010/01/read-this-nanny-returns-by-emma.html
Since Dedication is being re-released, we thought we would read it again and we are pleased to say it is just as good the second time around. Dedication, although not taking place mainly in Manhattan like Nanny did, is filled with coming-of-age experiences that most people relate to but Kate, the main character, experiences some extraordinary things that most people can only dream about. In 2002, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus burst onto the literary scene with The Nanny Diaries, a “sharply observed and stylishly written” (W) bestseller that satirized the private child-care industry. This past December, they delivered another smash hit with the highly anticipated sequel, Nanny Returns, which once again garnered rave reviews and landed the authors another coveted spot on the New York Times bestseller's list.
Now, in the repackaged paperback of DEDICATION with a brand new cover voted upon by readers, McLaughlin and Kraus take aim at a fresh target in a wise and witty tale of self-discovery and a true gift for anyone who ever waxed nostalgic about a tender first love and wondered what if?
Dancing back and forth between the past and present, DEDICATION (Atria Books; $14.00; March 2, 2010), traces the life of Kate Hollis, an attractive and successful thirty-year-old wrestling with unresolved issues involving her old teenage boyfriend. Fifteen years ago, Kate and Jake Sharpe were quintessential high school soul mates. Or they were until Jake abruptly dumped her before the senior prom without even a goodbye and headed for Los Angeles and a singing career. Forty million records later, he has morphed into a mega-rock star with an entourage and a legion of screaming fans.
As a single career woman, Kate moved on, too—or at least thought she had—in her satisfying, productive life as a sustainable development consultant. But every time she turns on the radio it seems she hears Jake reliving their puppy love affair in his chart-topping lyrics. In fact every hit Jake writes is about Kate, and to add insult to injury, he’s about to introduce his new sure-to-be-a-smash single, Katie, in Manhattan’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Is he simply using her name as a lyrical device, as he claims in media interviews, or is he really still carrying a torch?
Kate grabs the chance to get answers when Jake arrives in their old hometown for a photo-op to introduce his new fiancée to his mother. In a heartbeat, Kate is on a plane to Vermont to confront Jake with thirteen years’ worth of questions. Why did he lie to her and disappear in the night? How can he live with the fact that his closest high school buddies co-wrote his smash hit, but he’s the only one banking the royalties? Why does he continue to publicly probe their intimate relationship—as well as hurtful family history—if it’s really over between them?
Their tempestuous reunion is a publicist’s dream. While the sleepy village settles into a Norman Rockwell-style holiday, the pair spend their days playing cat-and-mouse with a horde of reporters and photographers hoping to catch a glimpse of the international star and his newly identified muse. Hours later, the couple is off to Manhattan where the hilarious circus that surrounds the star jumps to hyper-speed. Old wounds are reopened as new passion flares, and Kate finds herself caught between two Jakes—the sensitive boy she once adored and the international heartthrob with an ego that spans continents.
Through evocative flashbacks and finely rendered detail, DEDICATION offers a fast-paced look at the pitfalls of idealizing the past and why chemistry—even “multi-platinum” chemistry—isn’t always enough. More important, it delivers a razor-sharp cautionary tale that captures, with biting accuracy, what it means to make peace with your past. Whom You Know recommends Dedication.
About the authors: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus are the co-authors of The Nanny Diaries, Citizen Girl, The Real Real and Nanny Returns. They live and work in New York City.
