Thank you so much to Kennedy Ryan, Forever and NetGalley for an advance copy of this!

Wowzer! This is my first Kennedy Ryan book and I think I picked a good one to start with. I have heard so much about her writing and I own her Hoops & Grip series which I really want to read now. Kennedy's writing so smooth and the most realistic I have ever read. 

Quick recap: Yasmen & Josiah are a divorce couple who went through two hard losses back to back. For the last 2 years they had been amicable for the sake of their two children Deja and Kassim. The two just cannot get past their undenying love for one another. Can they move on from their past and rebuild their future? 

As I mentioned above, Ryan's writing shines a light on real things couples go through. I am a huge fan of rom coms and swoon worthy moments from the MMC but in this you do not get that. You get heart, complicated family dynamics, loss and healing. In the span of 400 pages, you are taken on this journey that is so beautiful. 

"Grief is a grind. It is the work of breathing and waking and rising and moving through a world that feels emptier. A gaping hole has been torn into your existence, and everyone around you just walks right past it like it's not even there." 

I love that Ryan talked about topics that are not typically found in romance books. You have characters who are in therapy, mental health, death, stillbirths and depiction of being depressed.  The positive light of the power of therapy is important for all - young and old. It is healthy to have these conversations with individuals who can help you.

I have never experienced the type of loss that Yasmen & Josiah did with the loss of their son Henry, but the way Ryan wrote about it and the pain afterwards was similar to my feelings when I had my miscarriages. Specifically when talking about Josiah.  This line especially got to me, spoken by Yasmen, "You never talk about him. You've never cried for him."  My husband and I had many emotional conversations after our miscarriages as I was so frustrated at him for not grieving the same way that I did. Just like Yasmen, I wonder why are you not crying like I am? Why are you not heartbroken like I am? Brillant. 

"You're not a robot. You're human." 

Another relationship I enjoyed watching develop over the course of the book was Yasmen's relationship with her eldest daughter Deja. She is at an age where her mom is not cool and everything that she does is deemed wrong. We later learn why Deja is so angry at her mom but before then seeing how Yasmen tries to dance a delicate dance with her daughter on making things right between them. Small changes lead to big results.  

Rumor had it that Kennedy Ryan can write some pretty good spicy scenes and I can tell you that is 100% the truth.  Even with all the serious conversations throughout the book, there was no shortage of intimacy. I can't speak enough about the realistic images you have while reading this book.  It was just so beautiful. 

Thank you Kennedy for this wonderful book for the universe to enjoy & love. 

PS: I am definitely going to try the corn pudding & sweet potato pie pancakes!