Oh my God, Aly Martinez is back! It’s been a little bit, so I had kind of forgotten just how all-consuming and intriguing her books are. All of the mysteries, surprises and twisty turns, the layers of guilt, tension, conflict, secrets,  anguish, drama, inspiration, and the sheer volume of emotions that go through you during her books is almost too much. But I could not put it down.

My heart completely broke for Truett West. And the more I learned, the more it cracked open, but the more I wanted him to find a way out to live again and to find happiness. And I felt bad for Gwen too because she had been through hell and back and was just trying to find a new happy normal when Truett shows back up in her life.

But these two had such a connection, history, and chemistry that there was this magnetic pull between them that was hard to control even when they truly did not understand what the other was truly thinking or the full extent of what they had been through. And seeing the layers start to peel back, especially from Truett, and seeing where his mind has been and why he made the choices he made just made me feel even more towards him. Their past is complicated, tragic, and painful, and there are a lot of unresolved feelings and pain that they have not really dealt with. 

I’m usually good at picking out twists in stories but this one just kept them coming. Some hit harder than others but I love it when an author can surprise me. 

This author has always been incredible at writing broken boys, but this one she broke multiple times and then pretty much shut him in with his grief, guilt, and regret. The depths of his pain are unfathomable. He copes with his self-imposed routine and partial isolation and managing his environment. But seeing Gwen starts to crack his walls and defenses. And they begin to restore a connection that was broken and devastated them both and changed the trajectory of their lives. 

Told in dual points of view and flashbacks we are given little snippets to fill in the past gradually throughout the book and just when you think you know everything, another zinger comes. These characters and this story felt real. I felt all their emotions, good and bad. There are many ways that they have been broken, but they are also finding the inspiration and catalyst to change and try to move forward finally. And I was rooting for them the whole time. I feel that the author also did not sugarcoat the mental health issues and the importance of working on them and that there is a process to heal. 

This is a stand-alone but there are events and characters tied to other books that add depth to the story. This story in itself is captivating, heartbreaking, powerful, inspiring, poignant, and unforgettable. It really resonated with me. It hurt. But the emotional and tumultuous journey is worth it to see them start to heal, grow, and fight their way back to a second chance at love, and living a full life. I am still in a book hangover and this is one of my top favorite books this year.