This story followed Quinn and Graham from when they first met to the moment when they were married. Told through Quinn’s P.O.V. the story switched from past and present to highlight specific moments from over the years, and what would eventually reveal more about what happened to Quinn and Graham’s relationship.

Colleen always knows how to put a twist on any of her stories, even when introducing the main characters. I wasn’t expecting Quinn and Graham to meet each other they way that they did. Colleen had me intrigued right away from the first chapter and I needed to know more. Right away from the first few “now” chapters it was clear that things had changed between Quinn and Graham specifically in their marriage. I got more of the sense that Quinn was dealing with some inner problems and she felt the need to keep Graham at arm’s length. Even in the chapter’s early on, Quinn stated that she was having trouble conceiving with Graham, she dealt with infertility. Quinn’s P.O.V. truly illustrated her frustrations, fears, and insecurities, but also talked about the happier times she and Graham had. I couldn’t begin to imagine the emotional toll that Quinn felt during the “now” chapters, but just as she was feeling depressed and different towards Graham, I also felt bad for Graham because he too had his own struggles. 

This book definitely had a lot of the miscommunication trope since Quinn and Graham (in the “now” chapters) refused to acknowledge the truth of how they each were really feeling, and it caused more issues between them. I’ve said this before about other books, but communication is key! Both in the fictional and real world. I feel like if Quinn was upfront about how she really felt to Graham, they could have worked things out sooner, but considering all the time they spent struggling to get pregnant, and how slowly over time Quinn started to feel “devastation” over failing to conceive really messed with her confidence. 

Compared to the “now” chapters, reading the “then” chapters showed a lighter, happier, and flirty side of Quinn and Graham in the beginning stages of their relationship. Even six months after that horrible night, Graham and Quinn couldn’t take their eyes off each other in the restaurant, the chemistry was there, and the flirty banter that Graham had was sweet and honestly sexy to me. Seeing Quinn and Graham in the past showed them overall in a different light, one that highlighted their happier times. Sadly in the “now” chapters, both Graham and Quinn became different people, ones who weren’t as they use to be years before when they were dating, etc. 

Telling the story in past and present really helped tell both Quinn and Graham’s stories and show how they were trying to deal with their marriage. Sadly the only word I kept thinking about in terms of Quinn feeling towards Graham and their marriage was “detached”. Any physical intimacy made Quinn feel disappointed because, to her if nothing resulted in her becoming pregnant, she was faced with another moment of her hope going down the drain. 

Honestly the way that Colleen wrote this story had me questioning both Quinn and Graham’s mindsets like I couldn’t begin to imagine what they were feeling. Not to mention how eventually in their marriage, they way Quinn and Graham acted towards each other broke my heart. The significance of the wooden box, the letters Graham wrote to Quinn, I’m glad that even though they both hit rock bottom, they were able to build back up a new foundation for their marriage. The episode was sweet and I was happy to see Quinn and Graham happy and just genuinely being happy together. Definitely another Colleen Hoover story that’ll leave you wanting to know more, making you sad, and once again reading a unique story unlike any you’ve read before.