Thank you to Forever (via NetGalley) for the ARC!

Content/trigger warnings:

Spoiler

emotional abuse (from parents and romantic partner; on-page and recounted); gaslighting; physical abuse (on-page and recounted); cheating; depression; alcohol consumption; childbirth; depression; smoking; death of elderly family members; some graphic descriptions of ER injuries

I always know an Abby Jimenez book is going to be heart wrenching and I will end up crying at some point, and this book was no different. One thing that makes a great romance novel for me is when you're in the middle of the book and you don't see how things will work out. Everything is going wrong for the characters, things look bleak, and you think there's no way they'll end up together, or even happy for that matter.

But a happily ever after (or HEA) is a staple of the romance genre. Everything always works out in the end. ALWAYS. No matter what. And I know this. But there were some times in the middle of this book that I thought there was no possible way Daniel and Alexis were going to get there. Jimenez is always great at this because she puts her characters through the wringer in every single book. They go through so much, and their happy endings are always made that much sweeter for it. But the fact that she makes me doubt it every single time is the mark of a great writer, for me.

I really don't have anything constructive to say about this book specifically. I loved it, I loved Daniel and Alexis, and I'm a sucker for anything Abby Jimenez writes. If you liked her other books, you will liked this one. And you will cry. Probably a lot.