Wrapping my year with somewhat of a lighter read - only somewhat, given that this still has some pretty heavy themes. But I found this in a used bookstore a couple of years ago, and the idea of reading one of Lou Alcott's pulpier novels as referenced in Little Women seemed delightful. To be sure, it's fun to imagine the same author across the two novels; the moralizing of Little Women appears in degrees, but this is a far darker novel and far more "sensational." It is entirely built off of twists and reveals, leaving the reader a little exhausted by the end but certainly not unentertained. Tempest feels a bit like a prototypical character, Tumblr would go feral for this man. And Rose is given some pretty clever nuance to avoid feeling like a one-note character. When we've otherwise drained the nostalgia well dry, I wouldn't mind seeing a film adaption of this - I think this blend of romance thriller is just inventive enough that it would land really well for a modern audience.