Tatum Vega finally has the life she always envisioned for herself. A tranquil existence in Chile with her partner Vera and a cozy museum job where she’s surrounded by beautiful art. And despite her past hardships she is happy… as long as she ignores the memories of her decade spent living under the thumb of renowned yet manipulative author M. Dominguez.

All that Tatum has pushed down is forced to surface, however, when a U.S. reporter contacts her for an interview regarding her past with Dominguez. And when he reveals her old infatuation has been accused of assault she is compelled to reevaluate their complex and intense relationship. Although Tatum assures the reporter she is not a victim in the same way, questions and memories begin to plague her as the story unfolds. Did he groom her? Was she a victim of his web of deceit and women? And why can’t she put him in the past to properly move on? As Tatum continues down the rabbit hole she discovers that she may not like the answers. Can she come to terms with what happened over those 10 years? Or will denial and Dominguez’s manipulation get the best of her?

This book surprised me in so many ways. I did not anticipate loving it as much as I did. The synopsis sounded intriguing but nothing could have prepared me for the complex emotions and uncomfortable situations. Bonus points as well for being a debut. I think Ursula Villarreal-Moura is an author to look out for in the future because if this is their first book I can only imagine what greatness is to come.

Tatum is a wildly nuanced and layered main character. Her struggles with being one of the only minorities in an extremely white Massachusetts college start the story off with a feeling of isolation. With reading and art as the only true escape her favorite book quickly becomes her main source of solace. So when the author responds to her fan letter, the reader can’t help but be as excited as Tatum. You spend so much time in her mind that when someone who we think (the reader and Tatum) truly sees us it is a life-altering moment. Their connection over their Latinx identity is a huge catalyst in their 10-year relationship and it is wildly interesting how he uses that to both deject Tatum and connect to her.

Tatum’s sexuality is another main focus of her growth and is one of the only things separate from Dominguez. That she ended up with Vera shows the amount of maturing and self-discovery she was able to do once she was out from under his thumb. And the way her sexuality is handled by him shows the cruel side of his otherwise alarmingly calm nature. The grooming is eerily well-written throughout the whole book, but these moments especially showcase his slimy tactics.

I love dual-timeline plots so I enjoyed how this took place both in Vera’s current life, while she discusses with the reporter. And in a letter she is penning to Dominguez, which recounts their decade together. My heart broke for young Tatum so many times and she seemed to never quite be able to free herself from him. Even in instances where she seemed she was growing distant, there was always something to reel her back into his web. We grew with Tatum as she went from college, back to Texas with her parents, and then finally to New York, where she spent the majority of her early to mid-adulthood. The plot never lulled and even though we knew their friendship ends it kept you guessing as to the events that took place over those 10 years. What an incredible premise.

Plot and characters aside this may have been some of the best writing, on a line level, I’ve ever read. If the plot and characters haven’t won you over yet then I implore you to pick this up just for the amount of annotations within its pages. Even the areas of her identity where I couldn’t personally relate I still felt so deeply due to the stunning writing of her character. This book is not just a one-and-done, it is a pen-marked and cracked-spine favorite.

All in all, I think this read is a must for 2024. Between the excellently crafted lines, the complex characters, and the gut-wrenching plot there is something for everyone. The intersection of Tatum’s identities brings so much to the table and is ripe for discussion. If you like layered stories, thick with quotable moments then this book is for you. Happy reading!

Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me an ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.