So to start with, I really loved this book. Meryl Wilsner is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, sapphic romance author in tens of writing style and characterisation. This book is no different. I loved the conceit of the book, with the non-refundable honeymoon and the challenge to get anything you ask for, as long as you ask for it. This is also one of the greatest beach holiday romances (some of my other favourites being Just Kiss Her by Clare Lydon and Until Next Tine by Jamey Moodey). I also loved the Jewish, fat and non-binary representation.

Unfortunately, this is not my favourite book by Wilsner, mainly because the book suffered from two contradictions, which I’m not sure how they could have solved. 

First, lots of lesser romances just focus on the romance plot line at the expense of all else. We see nothing of the characters’ lives outside of the evolving central relationship. This has never been a problem with Wilsner’s books. Characters always have friends and family either whom they have significant interactions, and jobs and interests other than being in a relationship. But the whole point of this book is the codependency between the MCs who have nothing going on outside of each other. It’s the point of the book, but it still leaves it feeling small and constrained. During the third act breakup,

the two MCs do start to build lives for themselves. One kind of fixes their relationship with their family, and maybe gets a bigger and more fulfilling role in the family business. The other also gets a fulfilling job and a small grief group, although it’s not promising that the friend group are all twice their age, and treat them like a baby for not having a full working knowledge of BDSM practices and terminology

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Second,

whoever ended the breakup, it was always going to be disappointing. Throughout the story, it was made clear both characters had equal issue asking for what they wanted. This was really important for the story that they both had this issue. I think the relationship would have felt unequal otherwise, and both characters needed to work through their codependency. But it meant that, whoever ended the breakup, it would have felt empty that the other didn’t. I’m not sure how this could have been fixed

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But as I said, I still loved this, and will definitely listen to it again!