This book just doesn't work.  It's so frustrating to watch these two characters circle each other and make basically no moves, Maya in particular since she seems unable to work through both her romantic feelings for Derek and her obvious unhappiness at her dream job.  I was very uncomfortable with the "White woman discovers her Roots of Color" subplot, and was super taken aback by the fact that Derek lost his wife in a mass shooting event at their church.  That particular piece of the story is so underdeveloped that it really just serves as a kind of shock and awe feature meant to amp up the reader's empathy for him, which isn't necessary!!

The story has STRONG religious undertones, which is not my jam, and is slow-burn very low-steam.  Overall, the plot is underdeveloped and the writing is robotic.  Dialogue is incredibly stilted and Derek's 12 year old daughter talks like a 40 year old woman with an MBA.  A swing and a miss.  

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.