I was really looking forward to this read - and several moments throughout did shine as emotional & engaging. However, this book was in dire need of a thoughtful editor. Not much happened until the ending, and the buildup was painfully slow. There was a lot of seemingly random exposition - we got way too much draggy, plain description and background on characters that were practically irrelevant. Time would have been much better spent deepening the personalities of a handful of truly interesting supporting characters. The MC was also a little too perfect. Yes, she got in trouble for being a too-involved reporter (a bit of an overdone trope if you ask me), but every single one of her instincts was spot on? Come on now. She was also adored by just about everyone she met (with the exception of clear antagonists), had a love interest that was not quite deserved, etc etc.