Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this eARC for an honest review.

I did not hate this one, but I didn’t like it either. I think Sunny and Isaac were a great match and compatible, but the story itself was a bit flat for me. Sunny’s justification of not wanting to be Isaac’s muse because she thought he was still caught up in the grief of losing/loving his wife, while simultaneously trying desperately to push him onto someone else to fulfill the position just didn’t make sense to me, especially when he was already practically begging for her to do it. I get trying to guard her heart, but that plot point just didn’t make the most sense to me. 

There were funny moments and definitely some raunchy moments that were enjoyable, but all in all, this was just an okay read for me.

A pleasant surprise. 

The story - 3.5 ⭐️s
Story + Narration - 4 ⭐️s

Henry and Grace were meant to be, but with big dreams and even bigger deception, their romance gets derailed. 

Five years later, Grace finds herself alone and heartbroken on the night of her 30th and because fate is a fickle bitch, naturally she runs into her ex, Henry. After getting pissy drunk and making a wish, she wakes up five years before to make things right, not only with Henry, but in her failed life decisions and other relationships. 

I’m still not sure how I feel about magic realism in romance books, but this was done well. I know for a fact that if the narrators were not Daisy Edgar Jones and Sam Claflin, I probably would not have enjoyed this book. Sam’s voice in my ear was a treat and the chemistry between Grace and Henry was brought alive in this audiobook by Claflin and Edgar Jones. 

An unexpected twist at the end makes this worth the listen!

This book was rough, but I understood there would be a rawness and realness to the story when written by Tayari Jones. 

To be honest, Roy and Celestial were doomed from the start. Roy’s infidelity and roaming eye was front and center in their newfound relationship and honestly not something I think Celestial or any woman could ignore. When the unthinkable happens and Roy finds himself in prison, all of the complexities of their marriage go out of the window and Roy’s expectations become too much. I think it’s easy to say that Dre’s presence is what made Celestial seemingly give up on her marriage and commitment to Roy, but I think Roy pushed her away on his own volition and Dre just happened to be there to support her. 

Add in the overbearing opinions of their parents and I just don’t think their marriage stood a chance, prison sentence or not. I give them credit for trying to work things out, but in the end, they were clearly better off without each other.