Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

CWs: panic attacks/disorders, mental illness, Chile abuse, drug/alcohol addiction, abandonment, emotional abuse

Representation: Black plus size MC, Black side characters, anxiety, depression, PTSD

We need more books that show accurate and relatable depictions of mental illness. Slaughter does, what I think is, a stellar job of this in this book. Slaughter managed to portray PTSD from childhood trauma without sugarcoating it, which is something I have seen in a few books. I loved how the two MCs did not try to gaslight each other, but instead understood what the other was going through and how to respond to their anxiety and mental struggles. I also feel like mental health for Black folks is extra stigmatized, so I’m glad books like this exist.

I wasn’t super invested in the insta-attraction and it was hard for me to envision. The plot dragged a little. And also the over use of the southern accents irked me. Being from Tennessee and having many relative with heavy accents, I don’t think anyone says everythin’ or anything’. Not every word ending in -ing needed the G dropped! Anyways, rant over

Overall, liked this book & would recommend to anyone who struggles with anxiety and/or PTSD and wants to see themselves accurately represented in a romance novel. There’s also some good steamy scenes!