Was this sequel really necessary? No, probably not. But was it still really nice to see Lily finally get her happily ever after? Yes, definitely. 

I can honestly say I felt a lot of pride for the strength Lily has found, and the fierceness at which she wants to protect her daughter. It takes so much patience and courage for someone to co-parent with a monster like Ryle, yet she did it in the best possible way. She always stayed calm and civil to protect her daughter the best she could when she knew this horrible, abusive man had to stay in their lives. 

It’s such an incredibly sad thing that real-life women in similar situations also have to keep co-existing with monsters because they legally don’t have the right to keep their children away from their “father”, but I hope all of them find the strength to handle it in the way Lily has.

This book also has a lot of focus on Atlas, and I’m really glad for it. I never built a super strong connection to him in the first book, but this book couldn’t have made it any more obvious to me how perfect he is for Lily. He’s the exact calming and controlled presence that Lily needs; I can’t imagine a person she’d feel more safe with. 

That said, I also really appreciate the insights we got into Atlas’s own struggles and traumas. This man has been through so much, yet remained so insanely kind and patient through it all. I admire the hell out of him. 

Last but not least, I want to give a quick shoutout to Theo. I don’t even remember if he was ever present in the first book, but he really stole the show for me here. He was such a snarky, sassy but also insanely adorable kid. The scenes where he played “therapist” to Atlas were my absolute favourites, and they even had me laughing out loud multiple times. These two series had the most wholesome and fun relationship ever.