Adyasa

Her only hobby is paint by numbers? Seriously? Why not just deprive a fictional character of any personality now too?

Went into this expecting a second chance romance (based on the blurb) but that's not really what this book delivers, and that disconnect affected my whole reading experience.

I think I went into it expecting Russ to matter more and to be part of a proper emotional arc or even an endgame and because of that, I kept assuming the book would resolve things with him in a meaningful way. but it just...doesn't.

I did like being in Cherry's head....her thoughts on body image and identity were strong but she's clearly not in a place where she can sustain a healthy relationship. a lot of her decisions felt driven by insecurity rather than clarity.

The ending is where it lost me the most. it clearly leans one way, but it didn't feel earned, and the resolution just didn't land in a satisfying way for me. and while it leans toward Tom, i didn't feel like enough was done to make that choice feel earned.

I see why this book is getting such mixed reactions. There are strong ideas here, but the execution doesn't fully deliver on them.

Overall, interesting ideas and a strong main character, but uneven execution and an unsatisfying resolution for me.

While the story acknowledges that the characters are in their 30s with day jobs, the whole amateur murder-solving setup felt a bit unrealistic and, at times, immature.
The dialogue especially didn't match their age or life stage, which made it harder to take the story seriously.

Childish.
MMC has communication issues. He refuses to speak about his biggest problem to ANYONE. For years.
But maybe it's genetic.
Because his mom refuses to let her son know about her disease.
"3rd act" breakup (Also habit for the series it seems).

P.S. Book built with tropes & OW drama.

The cover is so pretty omg