Most Wonderful

August 1, 2024

The lives of the three Belvedere siblings collide in this queer holiday tale when the trio show up for Christmas at the Catskills home of their famous, fabulous mother. The oldest, Liz, is a show runner for a hit TV show, but she only has eyes for its star, Violet. Hot-mess middle child Birdie is trying to get her stand-up career back on track, but a love of booze and women has been leading her off the path. Their younger brother, Rafi, is home to lick his wounds after a very public romantic rejection. The well-crafted tale flits seamlessly among the three siblings' very different Christmas love affairs, while also building a portrait of a somewhat dysfunctional but loving family, helmed by the hilarious Babs Belvedere, iconic star of stage and screen. Readers with a finger on the pulse of pop culture will particularly enjoy the winking references throughout, and while not all of the siblings get their perfect happily-ever-after, the book ends with warm fuzzies all around. VERDICT Reading this unique, delightful Christmas tale from Clark (Island Time) feels like curling up for a gossip session with an old friend and a mug of hot chocolate.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2024
Liz Belvedere has massive writer's block as she tries to come up with a pitch for the second season of her hit show; it doesn't help that she's hung up on an illicit kiss she shared with the show's star. Comedian Birdie Belvedere hasn't had a hit since her last special, and she's coasting on alcohol and random hook-ups. Hopeless romantic Rafi Belvedere proposes to his girlfriend at the company Christmas party, only to be summarily dumped. The three siblings, each of whom has a different father, retreat to their aging starlet mother's house in the Catskills for the holidays, each hoping to escape their woes. What they find is their mother, Babs, walking with a cane, her nonbinary assistant Jin-soo giving directives about medications, and comfort in the familiar chaos of holiday parties and clandestine sibling meetings in the wine cellar. Clark's bighearted latest (after Island Time, 2022) features three queer romances wrapped in a family-holiday comedy. Each sibling has a fully fleshed-out trajectory, and readers will root for them to find their happy endings.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 19, 2024
In this lightly holiday-themed outing, Clark (It Had to Be You) braids together three queer romances all full of character and heart. The three adult children of storied performer and oversized personality Babs Belvedere, each from a different father, gather at her home in the weeks before Christmas, each with something on their minds. Liz is struggling both with building the pitch for the second season of her TV show and with her crush on its star, Violet Grace. Stand-up comedian Birdie has just lost her agent due to her partying and womanizing interfering with her gigs, but somehow pivots an embarrassing meet-ugly with a local artist into romance. And Rafi is reeling from his girlfriend’s very public rejection, only to discover that his feelings for his best friend, Ash, might be more than platonic. Clark weaves common themes, like the siblings addressing long-buried feelings about their missing fathers, through all of the stories, to create a sense of cohesion to the three threads. Christmas atmosphere is light, with the holiday primarily serving as an excuse to bring the family together and to throw several drama-filled parties. The result is a solid, feel-good romp that may be just the escapist treat readers need to get through the season.