A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Ballantine/Del Rey providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A heart wrenching rivals to lovers sapphic tale where two academic rivals are forced to work together to solve a murder before time runs out and one of them is chosen to take the fall.

I loved this story so much, from the characters to the gothic folklore vibes, to the darkly realistic “fairytale” setting. If I could read this again blind going in, I would. The dynamic where the one character thinks they are unlovable and hideous, only to cut to the other character who has been pining after them this entire time? Unmatched.

I can’t even write a long review BECAUSE this story was just so perfect. Believe me, you need to read this.

If you love:
Enemies/Rivals to Lovers
Sapphic romances
Gothic fairytales
Jewish folklore
“Who could ever love me?” “ME MOTHERFUCKER”
Murder mysteries
Angst/betrayal/hurt-comfort

Read this. Trust me. It’s worth the hype.