Bent Right to Your Wind had all the makings of a story I should have absolutely loved: childhood friends, academic rivals to lovers, Taylor Swift references galore, and a marriage in crisis? Esther Valos, did you read my mind before writing this book? The premise was so strong, and I could see the direction the author wanted to take, but unfortunately, the execution didn’t fully land for me.

First, the positives. I adored Aaron. He was easily the highlight of this book—so sweet, so adorable, and just the softest, most devoted man. The way he learned to ride a motorbike just because Maya casually mentioned finding it hot? I need this man protected at all costs. Their relationship was layered and had real emotional weight, which I appreciated. I also really liked how therapy was incorporated into the story. The care given to the topic of mental health was a standout aspect and added depth to the characters.

However, there were a few things that kept me from being fully immersed. There seemed to be too much going on at once. The story had a solid premise, but it felt overstuffed at times, making it hard to stay fully engaged. There was a lot of telling rather than showing, which created a bit of a disconnect from the emotions that should have hit harder.

Also, I am not the biggest fan of the dual timeline structure, and this book is why. I knew going in that this was a then/now timeline, but I still expected the story to flow in chronological order at first. Since I’m already not a big fan of past/present jumps, this format didn’t work in the book’s favor for me personally. It disrupted the momentum and made it harder to form a strong emotional attachment to the characters in both timelines.

The execution just did not land the way it was inteded to. While the story had direction, it didn’t always have impact. I could see where the author wanted to take the emotional beats, but they didn’t always hit as deeply as they could have. With tighter pacing and a bit more refinement, this could have been amazing.

That being said, for a debut, this was a solid effort! The characters had depth, and the themes of love, resilience, and personal growth were well intentioned. I love the nods to Taylor Swift too, especially the cover and the obvious one in the title. While it wasn’t a perfect read for me, I’d still be curious to see what Esther Valos writes next!