So this book is just the plot of Life As We Know it but the the MMC is more rigid and the FMC is carefree. The book does touch on some good depictions of grief but otherwise there wasn’t really anything special that stuck out to me. As an enemies to lovers romance, we expect the MCs to dislike each other but some of the things the MMC said to her in the beginning were really terrible. It made it hard to root for the romance, and they are never really addressed or discussed.

Disclaimer: I received a gifted finished copy from the publisher. 

Where this book really failed me was the classification as a "thriller" and in some places I've seen it categorized as "an erotic thriller". This book is a very specific delve into conversion therapy, sexual explotation of poor gay men, and conflicting religious beliefs. 

First trigger warnings: this book is FILLED and very frequent sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse. I would estimate there was 1.5/10+ sexual scenes that were openly consensual. It is the premise of almost the entire story. There is also exploration of conversion therapy, homophobic families/churches and financial abuse. 

Those trigger warnings are why this story being marketed as a "thriller" is completely wrong to me. This book very explicitly explores how a man uses financial abuse to entrap a man that has already been sexually abused in the past. Nothing about this is "thrilling". There are no plot twists. It is a straightforward horrific story. There was nothing I didn't expect and spent time trying to figure out, other than how this terrible abuse would be resolved. I'm not sure how any of this is "thrilling". It is compelling, gritty, and it is fast-paced. I read it in one sitting (partially because if I put it down, I doubt I would have picked it up again). It makes callbacks to #MeToo in some ways I won't really explain because they are spoilers, but I think it missed the mark.

Disclaimer: I received a free finished copy from the publisher.