Dream On

Starred review from May 2, 2022
Hockman (Shipped) puts a wonderfully original spin on amnesia romance in her delightful sophomore rom-com. Aspiring lawyer Cass Walker falls asleep at the wheel after her bar exam and wakes up in the hospital six days later asking for her boyfriend, Devin Bloom. This question baffles her friends and family, who’ve never heard the name and know Cass to be single. Cass struggles to reconcile herself to the idea that the man she can picture so clearly is a figment of her imagination—until, one year later, she stops into Cleveland flower shop Blooms & Baubles for a bouquet and comes face-to-face with the man in her mind’s eye. It’s Devin Szymanski, brother of the shop’s owner, Perry, and, though he has no idea who Cass is, he agrees to help her solve the mystery of their connection. Cass is sure it must be fate—but fate, and Cass’s surprising feelings for Perry, may disagree. Hockman makes the explanation for Cass’s memories feel eminently plausible. The endearing cast will capture readers’ hearts, and the clever, twisty plot keeps the pages flying. This is a first-rate romp.

May 1, 2022

Cassidy Walker wakes up from a coma wondering where the man she's been dating for the last several months is, until she finds out that there is no evidence that Devin or their relationship ever existed. Dealing with these additional memories after recovering from her accident becomes a "struggle," according to her mom, as she tries to move on with her life, including moving into an apartment with her best friend and getting a second chance at her dream law job as a summer associate. Yet all of that changes when she stops to get a celebratory bouquet after her first day, and suddenly Devin does exist, right there in a random flower shop in Cleveland with his flirty florist brother. Devin Szymanski is just recovering from a serious and dramatic relationship. Although he is skeptical of Cass's story at first, he decides to take a chance on fate to see if he's really her dream man. Little does either of them know what fate actually has in store for them. VERDICT Fans of Hockman's debut novel, Shipped, will be excited to enjoy another delightful rom-com. Hand to those who appreciate a slow burn and the sweetest surprises for their heroines. Cassidy is a smart, independent, and strong woman who will have readers rooting for her happy ending and hanging on for the gratifying twist late in the book that shows that dreams and fate are not always as straightforward as they appear.--Morgan Lockard

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2022
A young woman discovers unexpected love in this contemporary romance. Jam-packed with drama from the very beginning, Hockman's second novel follows 26-year-old recent law school graduate Cassidy Walker after she has a car accident and wakes up from a six-day coma. She's devastated that her boyfriend, Devin, isn't at the hospital, and she's frantic to find him. But Cass' mother and her best friend are confused by her urgent ramblings about her three-month-long relationship with Devin. The memories of a grand romance Cass has carried from her coma are fake--she's never had a boyfriend named Devin. Hockman's story unfurls as Cass struggles with the emotional aftermath of her car accident, adjusting to her new job at the prestigious Smith & Boone law firm, and her desire to find the man of her literal dreams. A year later, she does just that, meeting Devin Bloom and his brother, Perry, face to face at their flower shop when she stops in for a bouquet. This chance encounter sparks the beginning of a relationship that feels like fate. It's far from perfect, though, as Hockman soon shows, and Cass and Devin seem to take turns acting immaturely. Still, Cass is sure to earn readers' affections with her wit, charm, and passionate disposition. The book can be predictable at times, but the pleasingly imperfect characters more than make up for that, and Hockman's bright, witty language ties everything together. A romantic comedy with a satisfying twist of fate.

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