One of my favorite parts of this book was the aftermath of an overdose in the beginning. I know that sounds weird, but Natalie wrote it so vividly that I felt like I was experiencing Cas’s true POV. I could feel his disorientation, I was blinded by the hospital fluorescents, I felt his panic & confusion, all of it. This whole chapter read like a movie & I loved it. Another interesting part? When the “I love yous” are said. I don’t want to spoil it here, but it really fits the relationship dynamic between these characters who started as childhood friends (& secret crushes) working to repair their relationship. It’s super sweet! I will say, while there were many parts I liked, there were moments when I felt like the story was trying too hard. Almost as if there were too many emotional or swoony lines, they lost their impact. And it made it difficult for me to connect to the characters & feel the pull of those heartstrings. However, this is a story about addiction, sobriety & emotional healing. And these story elements were handled with tender care, teaching us all lessons about self acceptance & support.

I picked up this book because emotional stories are ones I really like & because I have a personal connection with the subject material about addiction & sobriety. Having lots of family members on both sides of this coin, I can understand some of the difficulty that comes with loving someone who is struggling with their addiction & struggling with their sobriety. In that realm, this book felt like one big therapy session. But the characters made me want to shake them in frustration with their miscommunication, lack of self-worth & constant second guessing of the other's feelings. And while there were elements of the writing I didn't connect with, overall this was a slow burn romance filled with funny moments, strong friendships, healing from trauma & even some cat love.