She doesn't know his name and he doesn't know hers, but they just might be perfect for each other. Alexander Velazquez, an ambitious lawyer from a working-class neighborhood, and Evelyn Sinclair, a daughter of privilege trying to make it on her own, are strangers living parallel yet very different lives. Alex finds himself deeply entrenched in the life of an unredeemable client, and Evelyn realizes she's committed herself to a company with questionable ethics.
They are both brokenhearted workaholics constantly trying to keep up with the demands of family and friends. What they both want is to find meaning in their lives; what they're doing is looking in the wrong directions. As they watch each other through their office windows, all they can do is wonder about what might happen if they took a chance on the stranger across the street.
Professional Reviews
Library Journal
Evelyn and Alexander are from completely different worlds, she from privilege and wealth with an elite social standing, he the son of community activists who struggles with his desire to be a corporate lawyer. Each recently ended a relationship and is returning to San Francisco on the same flight, just missing a face-to-face meeting but unintentionally trading trinkets. Alexander finds a coaster on which Evelyn drew hands knitting, and Evelyn finds a head-bobbing dog Alexander made of straws. The straw dog and coaster are soon beloved objects. Their romance is told by Evelyn and Alexander in alternating first-person narratives, a technique that shows how their lives overlap without their knowledge, makes clear the effect the characters' glimpses have on each other, and demonstrates how alike they are in spirit. The open ending is full of promise for the pair and feels satisfying. Candela's third novel (after Underneath It All and Life Over Easy) is recommended to older teens and all adults.--Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Booklist
Meet reluctant coffee-chain heiress Evelyn Sinclair, recently returned to San Francisco from an aborted stint as a struggling artist in Paris. Meet conflicted attorney Alexander Velazquez, who lost his job and his girlfriend in New York and moved back, too. Eschewing the socialite lifestyle her sister embraces, Evelyn temps at a floundering dot-com, while across the street, Alexander works for a firm defending a sweatshop owner, much to the chagrin of his labor-activist parents. Candela, author of Underneath It All (2007), writes an unconventional falling-in-love story about two people whose paths cross but never meet. Confining her narrative to one week, she delves into both characters' daily routines and interactions with coworkers, friends, and family. Some readers may be disappointed that the romance is never fully realized, but others will be charmed by its many bittersweet, humorous, and true-to-life moments.--Walker, Aleksandra Copyright 2008 Booklist
Imogene, a country-bred girl, longs to make a life for herself in New York City. She joins forces with her former college roommate to start a movie production company in the big city.
Just as life during the pandemic was color-coded with different hues representing different levels of danger, life in its aftermath has become shaded in similar ways. As a self-styled “Seeker of Beauty with Beauty,” (borrowing from a quote by W.E.B.
