This book is actually deeper than its synopsis would suggest. There are things about it that I really appreciated. There are other things that I didn’t like so much.

What I liked:

1. Discussions about writing and art. Andi is a writer and Devin is an art lover. I like their discussions about art and writing and the intersection of the two. There are a few times this gets a little bit pretentious for me, but as something who appreciates both mediums of expression, I liked their intellectual discussions.

2. The arc of their relationship. I liked that these two really get to know each other and are legitimately friends before they are truly intimate with one another.

3. The other suitor. I don’t generally like books with love triangles, but this one actually worked for me. Sam was a great guy. I could definitely see why she would be interested in both him and Devin. And I like that she does have genuine romantic feelings for both of them. Too often in books the ‘triangle’ is actually just two guys panting after a girl who only has feelings for one of them. This is not like that.

What I didn’t like:

1. Andi was really frustrating for me. I’m a bigger girl, and the fact that she was as well was intriguing to me, as I don’t see many plus-size female protagonists. And I’m not saying I don’t have insecurities. After all, I probably wouldn’t be overweight in the first place without some deep-seeded insecurities. But Andi was so annoying in hers. Every time she and Devin would meet, she would start out all meek and shy and uptight, and by the end she’d open up and be fine. Then the next time they meet she’s all uptight again. But at the same time, she can be incredibly blunt and outspoken. That was, after all, how she and Devin started their arrangement in the first place. It felt a little inauthentic to have her characterized as this blunt, direct person and also someone with insecurities so crippling they send her into traumatic flashbacks.
Also, I didn’t like how she looked down on the women Devin took on as clients, as if she was so much better than they were. Luckily, Devin finally calls her out for this, but it happened so much before that point that I was over her self-righteous attitude.

2. The dialogue was clunky. I did appreciate some of the prose, especially when the characters were talking about art and writing, but so much of their dialogue to each other was awkward, bordering on cringeworthy. There was very little subtlety to their intimate conversations, and characters would just blurt out phrases that seemed out of character. People don’t talk to each other the way these characters sometimes did.

3. The structure of the book. The book is told primarily in first person through Andi’s perspective. There are a few passages from Devin’s journal as well. I think this would have been more effective if it had been a little more prevalent throughout the novel. We get two or three journal entries all talking about one event from his childhood, then one entry talking about a present-day event. It felt a little like cheating to get his input. I wish we would’ve had more of it. Maybe because I disliked Andi’s whiny selfishness so much of the time.

I read this book relatively quickly, and I’m interested enough to read the sequel, so this book did its job in my opinion. At the same time, it was far from perfect, and I could see people really disliking this for a variety of reasons.