A 2.25 rating feels very generous. And yet, I am still going to give it that. The bones were there. The tragic backstories, the angst, the tension, and yet it felt a little under baked. Declan's words and actions were a borderline red flag. He was really possessive but not in a loveable aphahole way. And Iris is supposed to be black but it's only mentioned when she needs to wear a silk scarf to bed. Iris has dyslexia but she never talks about how being black and dyslexic affected her. Not that I think Lauren Asher should be the one to tell that story, it just felt a little a little flat in that regard. It was cute and had angst. Even though I don't appreciate a lot of what's in the book, I do see why it's loved because, as a I said before, the bones are there. I just wish more care was put into the story...and that Declan didn't act that way for most of the book.