ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I tried really, really hard to get into this but I just can't do it anymore. This was an extremely anticipated read for me, from the moment I heard the synopsis. It's a really intriguing premise with a fantastic cover.

And I want to be clear: this was not bad.

However, I was struggling with everything from the characters to the plot direction. It was one of those experiences where I didn't even realize I wasn't enjoying it, until I noticed that picking it up felt like a dreaded chore. My delayed realization is partially because I really do like the concept and I also liked the author's writing style.

I think Alexis Henderson is really talented and wrote the book exactly as it was meant to be written.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to keep me engaged. Despite being an adult novel, the characters read very young and the budding romance (teacher x student, though they're both adults) was... not for me. This, along with the extremely slow pacing and a few other personal critiques, made reading this a difficult task.

I ended up realizing that I could stop reading and would never again wonder where the story was going - a sign that I should probably dnf.

With that being said, I think that's highly personal. I'll repeat: this is not a bad book. I think it's a good book with a super interesting idea, even if I didn't connect with the execution. If this sounds interesting, I do recommend picking it up.

I wish this had worked for me but I'm still incredibly grateful for the chance to read it.