3.5

This was poised to be a 5 star read - the characters are beautifully fleshed out, the rep is fantastic (f/f romance- character identifies as a lesbian, stated on the page; eating disorder; fat rep; grief; implications of the judicial system and impacts of family incarceration; generational trauma; the list goes on), and I agree with the description that this is a combination of The Mothers and An American Marriage... because my issues are the same with all three!!
The plot itself was lackluster. I was expecting more of a twist, or deep-dive into the crime side of the story, but it never came. Don't get me wrong - this was beautifully written, the characters were fantastic and it was supposed to be a character-driven story... but I just wanted that little bit more, especially considering the potential that was their for a more intricate plot.
I was also really disappointed in the ending - I was about 20 minutes from the end of the audio and found myself being surprised that I had almost finished because I could not see how the end was going to come together - because it does end a little abruptly, without much sense of resolve. Again, not bad, but just had the potential to be so much stronger!