Reading this novella for me was much like every other experience I had with this author's books: I started out not caring much about the romance, but growing more and more invested into both leads as their own separate people, as well as the fates of people who surround them. The sort of slice-of-life aspect and Lydia's personal journey toward accepting the present aftereffects of her past trauma were what held my interest up until almost the end. And then that moment came that most romances have—the one where the leads separate and it isn't clear if they can truly be together, even though you know you're promised a happy ever after by virtue of genre—and I suddenly became aware of how much I ship this couple and want them to work it out.

Few writers do character arcs so well as Courtney Milan in my opinion, and I always can count on her to pull me into the corner of the world she paints, making me care for everyone I meet. I really felt for Lydia and loved her amazing relationship with her father. Jonas's journey was also very well done, especially his moral dilemma with his own hoarder father, and his personality grew on me with each chapter. The prose was vivid and engrossing, and all the historical medicine-related details served to make the story somehow more engrossing. A very well-done short romance story that reminded me how much I enjoy this author's works.

Read for the following September 2020 readathons:
- Mythothon3: Already Owned
- Demonathon: Comfort Read
- Monsterthon: Comfort Read