2.5 stars. This is a tough one for me. On one hand, there was some lovely writing in this story. However, there were times where the overly-flowery, highly-metaphorical language was confusing as a reader.

The character of Dani, the main protagonist of the book, is very difficult to connect to, mostly because she has totally checked out after her mom's passing. She is totally numb, and her character shows no emotion for a large chunk of the book.

I liked Paulo. He was my favorite character in the book, and his backstory was so sad.

Dani's arc felt very strange to me, pacing-wise. The first half drags on and on with her being completely void of ambition or determination. Then there is a small part in the middle where we see her relationship with Paulo progress. But then end was kind of a mess for me, beginning with the flashback to see her Aunt's and mom's backstory I was bored silly by this passage in the book. I get that we are supposed to see Ruby in a new light because if this...but it doesn't work for me at all.

I feel pretty disappointed by this book because I think the concept has merit. Between that and the lyrical writing style, this story had major potential. Unfortunately. The execution was lacking.