The book hooked me from the beginning, reminding me a bit of The Devil Wears Prada at first (though this vibe doesn't last long) and then making me ponder the mystery as to why Evelyn, an elderly Marilyn Monroe-era movie star, reached out to Monique, an early-career journalist, to finally share her long-awaited tragic and drama-filled life story. The mystery becomes slightly predictable towards the end of the book but pulls itself together in a heartbreaking revelation.

I enjoyed how the author positions us alongside Monique in the story. Like Monique, we are solely in Evelyn's hands as she reveals her story to us. Throughout her narrative, Evelyn continuously reminds Monique that she will let her down. As a result, Evelyn also indirectly prepares us, as the reader, to not trust her and to see her as somewhat of an unreliable narrator. This setup allows us to see how Monique applies what she learns to her life, and I liked that this enables the author to communicate the points she's trying to make in the story by showing how Monique processes the story herself. This was a clever literary technique, and it helped keep my interest in the story.

I definitely shed some (bittersweet) tears at the end of this book, not just due to the mystery's tragic revelation but also because this just hits hard in its depictions of biphobia. It shows how people make false assumptions about an aspect of bi women's identities wears on us over time. As a bisexual woman married to a man, I really appreciated the representation in this book, but I was kind of disappointed with the ending. The story also felt a bit like it was a queer character written by a straight woman, and when I looked up the author, I was not surprised to find out my assumption validated. In that sense, the book disappointed me a bit, but it tugged at my heartstrings anyway.

Another thing I didn't enjoy about the story was how the author drew a comparison between being biracial and being bisexual. I definitely didn't think that was an appropriate comparison for her to make as a white woman. There is also the fact that Evelyn is a Latina woman, and beyond the first several chapters, this aspect of her identity is almost entirely ignored throughout the rest of the book, which felt like a significant oversight. Additionally, Evelyn's character is so openly manipulative, and Monique's character was so clueless at times that it frustrated me. Still, I enjoyed this book overall, but these negatives ultimately affected my rating.

I feel conflicted about this book, but I'm glad I read it. It captured my interest throughout the whole story and felt very entertaining. Evelyn's life felt mysterious and intriguing, and I enjoyed uncovering her story alongside Monique. I read this book as an ebook I borrowed from my local library and will probably not reread it, but I am glad I gave this book a read once, and I can see why it is so popular.