Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
I’m not entirely sure what I want to say about this book, as I am finding myself unable to be eloquent in writing this review. But I think the biggest accolade that can be given is that I read this book in one day (sun up to sun down) and genuinely enjoyed the experience, which is still relatively rare for me with romance/romance adjacent novels. The dynamic of this book was captivating and relatable, even in its most unrelatable parts.
Wes and Sarah have a decade+ of history, and are being brought back together under less than ideal circumstances, where unresolved feelings and misunderstandings can be brought to light. This can all be done in a very awkward manner, and I am one who gets major second-hand embarrassment reading books, but the awkward & uncomfortable conversations were handled with a level of class and dignity that I really appreciated. Marissa is a loveable character, and the bond & understanding she shared with Sarah was just wonderful. The lessons of acceptance Wes went through in order to better understand Marissa’s interests, and then how they paralleled interactions between Sarah & her parents, were emotions that I think anyone can understand if they have had a hobby that maybe isn’t completely mainstream. This book has so many layers of relationship building and development, getting to know people you think you already know, and peeling back the layers of peoples’ personalities to gain a new understanding and perception of them – it is really wonderful.
There were a couple timeline/continuity issues I had, but nothing so major that it felt like the plot became unhinged. Usually it was just something not lining up (one page it says last week and then another page it says two weeks ago, things like that), and then the epilogue timeline felt rushed, albeit understandable in context. Many of the littler things I’m sure could have been me misreading something due to the speed at which I was devouring this book.
It seems that this is the first book in a series of books set in this world, and if that is true I am looking forward to the next book. I have some ideas as to who the characters involved might be if they are carried over from this one, and if they are all brand new characters that will be exciting too. This world that was built is a lovely place to visit. If you are looking for a contemporary romance with a lot of heart, this is definitely a good choice.