*Look up trigger warnings as some materials/topics could be unsettling to readers: Mention of school shooting, grief, loss of a loved one.

By now I’ve become a big fan of Micalea’s books and ironically enough before reading her other books (“Confidence of Wildflowers”; “Resurrection of Wildflowers”) I never would have read this book, or at least I told myself I wouldn’t be interested in it especially due to the big age gap between Dani and Lachlan, but I guess my curiosity got the best of me and I immediately ordered this book after all. 

This book covered some dark, heavy topics so I already knew going into reading that this wasn’t going to be a “cute, romantic” book. I was fully aware of the heavy topics the story was going to cover. Right away, with Dani (Dandelion’s introduction) it was clear that she was still coming to terms with the loss of her mother, the traumatic event she went through (school shooting), and her trying to find some semblance of her “new” life following the tragic events. One thing I really liked was how Dani found herself enjoying reading. Now to some that might not be a big deal, but seeing how excited and invested Dani got with the books that Lachlan let her borrow made me happy for her because, as she mentioned it was a nice escape from her life. As a reader, I find myself in comfort and intrigue reading about others lives, their stories, etc. Obviously I can’t relate or begin to understand Dani’s trauma, but I liked seeing that even with just reading it gave her some sense of joy to her life. 

Now while this book covers some heavy topics, there is also some romance, albeit it’s a forbidden romance that falls under unconventional and in a way a bit taboo especially since Lachlan is Dani’s school guidance counselor. In the beginning, I liked seeing Lachlan try to help Dani by getting her to come out of her shell on her own, he never pushed her to talk about her trauma, he merely followed her lead in terms of conversation. Once the story got to the parts where Dani was Lachlan were almost crossing the line into admitting their feelings and sharing some passionate kisses was where things got…interesting. Realistically, a romance between a teacher and a student is in no way appropriate or should be ok. Sure Dani was eighteen making her of legal age, but with the difference in dynamic (Lachlan being her school guidance counselor) made it all the more forbidden and there was the risk of Lachlan potentially losing his job. Also if Dani was underage (not eighteen) then this would have been an automatic no. A lot of factors played a role with Dani and Lachlan, but despite so many reasons why they shouldn’t be together, they couldn’t help feeling drawn to each other, a connection that they both craved from one another. Again, in real life this kind of romance wouldn’t fly, but since this is a book and it’s not real, in some way I couldn’t help enjoying Dani and Lachlan together, their chemistry was passionate, but also had that underlying layer of understanding and respect. 

As the tension between Dani and Lachlan grew stronger with each chapter, I was left wanting more, and I felt slightly guilty wanting them to finally give in to their feelings, but I guess it’s a testament to Micalea’s writing that she had a way of making me love both Dani and Lachlan together. I kind of enjoyed the forbidden romance of it all, but I also liked that Micalea wrote Lachlan in a way that he always made sure to see if Dani was comfortable, always asking for consent. By the time Dani and Lachlan admitted their feelings and moved their relationship into more intimate moments, the stakes became higher and I was always left wondering when the shoe was going to drop in the next chapter. Let’s just say that when things escalated in terms of rumors going around, and their truth about Lachlan and Dani swirling around, I was anxious, at the edge of my seat to see what happened next.

Another thing I enjoyed about this story was seeing Dani’s friendship with Ansel. Yes, at times I was worried that Ansel would think that Dani would change her mind and develop romantic feelings for him, but thankfully Ansel was understanding and knew that Dani didn’t feel that way about him. Seeing how Ansel was always there for Dani even after graduation warmed my heart because, while Dani was adamant on trying to move on, discover herself away from home, having Ansel by her side truly helped her see things from a new perspective. Plus Ansel being there for Dani just goes to show how much of an amazing friend he was to her. 

This story gave me insight into what Dani went through, her journey of recovery, and especially with her mental health. This book may not be everyone’s cup of tea considering the age gap and power in dynamics between Dani and Lachlan’s relationship , but again this is not a real story. Personally I enjoyed this book a lot, and while Dani and Lachlan’s relationship wasn’t conventional, I liked their connection to each other and how in the mist of so much trauma, Dani was able to find happiness again. The ending, and epilogues wrapped everything up nicely to Dani and Lachlan’s story, I felt immense joy for them, and even though they started in an unconventional way, they managed to find their ways back to each other, and live their happily ever after.