*trigger warnings: attempted sexual assault, rape, child abduction 

Once again, Mia Sheridan knows exactly how to keep me surprised, left in awe with the deep meaningful story, and of course me falling in love with absolutely everything.

When first being introduced to Crystal (Real name Eloise a.k.a Ellie), I could tell right away that she was a bit jaded and very guarded about herself, whereas Gabriel seemed innocent yet had a loneliness to him. Ellie and Gabriel were completely opposite people yet at the same time, they both shared the similarity of having gone through some sort of trauma in their lives. Not to compare who faced harder obstacles in life, but considering what Gabriel went through as a child, I was surprised by his well mannered and sweet disposition. Normally, you would think that after going through what Gabriel endured, they’d be more negative or quite frankly be angry at the world, but despite that Gabriel wasn’t. Gabriel was still coming to terms with his life and trying to move forward which was a good thing for him (also I liked that his trauma wasn’t glossed over or magically cured since realistically trauma isn’t solved overnight). 

My girl Ellie definitely wasn’t happy with her life. Always struggling to make ends meet, putting up with weird guys at the strip club, trying to block out the memories of her childhood, and heartbreak, Ellie was faced with a lot. Compared to Gabriel, Ellie wasn’t much of a “happy” person, if anything she was a bit of a grumpy person towards Gabriel and felt the need to self sabotage any growing feelings toward him in order to prevent any future pain/ heartbreak she might later on be faced with. With all that Ellie had gone though, it was understandable to see why she acted the way that she did, but there were some moments that I was like, “ok come on, poor Gabriel is being a totally sweet guy, don’t be mean to him.” 

The tone of this story felt somber and a bit more intense in terms of what Ellie and Gabriel experienced in their lives, but even with so much sadness and hurt surrounding them, there was still some moments that tugged on my heartstrings. I loved reading Gabriel’s P.O.V. Chapters because, not only did I get to understand him more and learn about his backstory, but also the sweet words and feeling he had for Ellie. Gabriel was such a cinnamon roll, super sweet, endearing, and adorably shy. There were moments while reading Gabriel’s chapters that had me smiling over the kindness of his actions, and just having so much love for Ellie. The way Gabriel was towards Ellie from the moment they met, I found interesting and fascinating. Gabriel felt utterly unique, like a kind of male lead I hadn’t quite read before. 

Ellie was so guarded, never wanting to experience the pain of loss, getting hurt, or becoming dependent on someone, but with Gabriel she was able to open herself back up to new possibilities, a possibility future with him. I liked that Mia had written this book in dual P.O.V. Because you got to read both Ellie and Gabriel’s perspectives and see what they actually thought of each other. Ellie was so afraid to the possibility of loving Gabriel since he was unlike any man she had ever met, and with him telling her he loved her, Ellie was afraid that all the good, beautiful things that Gabriel offered would disappear instantly. I loved how reassuring and kind Gabriel was to Ellie, as much as he wanted to push for more in their growing relationship, he waited patiently in Ellie’s terms, allowing her to have control over what was ok moving forward. In a way, both Gabriel and Ellie needed each other, understood one another on a deeper level, and helped each other overcome their pasts. 

The romance between Ellie and Gabriel was endearing. Even with the slightest touches like when Gabriel held Ellie in his arms after her failed attempt to make him dinner or when they were at the bridge and Gabriel was grazing his fingers across Ellie’s cheekbone was lovely and sweet. Even the littlest moments or things had a strong impact and considering Gabriel was trying to overcome his fear of having people be in his personal space or try to touch him, with Ellie, she unknowingly helped him overcome that. Gabriel went from being afraid of another’s person touch, to literally him saying he “ached to touch” Ellie! The things Gabriel was thinking about wanting to do with Ellie had me blushing and excited! Gabriel overcame a lot and to see him so happy with Ellie was a beautiful sight to see (*read but I pictured it in my mind). 

Overall, this was such a deep, emotional, beautiful story with such a significant message that really highlighted Ellie and Gabriel’s story. While this story took a turn in ways I wasn’t expecting, it still was good in terms of the storyline. I loved Ellie and Gabriel, them finding their happily Eve after together. The epilogue was so sweet, and just seeing how far Ellie and Gabriel came was heartwarming and (sigh) as you can tell I absolutely loved this book, since I’ve gone on a long rant. Mia Sheridan did a magnificent job weaving together such a beautiful story of love while also shedding light on the dark, gritty trauma that Ellie and Gabriel experienced. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Gabriel and Ellie, and will definitely be reading book again (like all of Mia Sheridan’s books that I’ve fallen in love with).