“Shane was her lighthouse. If he went dark, she’d be lost, treading black water forever.”

This book has so much going for it, and Williams is an incredible writer, but it wasn’t a new favorite as I’d expected considering all of the praise I’ve heard!

However, it might be a new favorite of yours if you like:

💙 realistically flawed characters 

💙 complex mother-daughter relationships

💙 chronic pain representation

💙 dual timeline stories

💙 intense romance

What I loved most about this novel was its exploration of familial relationships, generational trauma, and racial inequity, but it couldn’t make up for the story’s one great downfall: the romance. While the novel borders on literary fiction, the romance is the core of the story, so it really affected my enjoyment.

I should, considering the title of this novel, have expected how I’d feel about it. I’ve always been disappointed by romances that unfold over a very short timeframe, and this one, unfortunately, was no exception. I really wanted to root for Shane and Eva, but with the romantic plot taking place across only two frantic weeks, one in 2004 and one in 2018, I couldn’t get past the feeling that it was desire, not love.