In this sweeping second chance romance from debut author Myah Ariel, the unexpected spark of two former flames may force them to choose between their dreams and each other. Kaliya Wilson has paid her dues. But all the years behind the reception desk at a flashy film studio have only pushed her movie-making dreams further out of reach. That is, until a surprise reunion presents an opportunity that could make her career, or break her heart…a second time. It’s been seven years since Kaliya’s whirlwind college romance with Danny Prescott went up in flames. While her passions have stalled, his career is taking off. So when the hot shot director reappears to offer her a job on his next production, it’s a shock to the system. Working with Danny may recapture the intensity of their film school days, but trusting him again won’t come as easily. As the pair allows themselves the openness and vulnerability to entrust their deepest truths to each other, the possibility of a true connection draws ever closer. But when Hollywood politics and scandal threaten to sink the production and her career, Kaliya may have to risk everything to do what’s right—even if it means letting go of the second chance love of a lifetime.
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2.5⭐️
I started out enjoying this, but unfortunately I think this book suffered from only having Kaliya's first person POV. Pairing a single POV with a male lead (Danny) who feels like he's constantly alternating between hot and cold towards Kaliya, made for a really frustrating read throughout. Danny also has a girlfriend for a good chunk (50%) of the book, who then falls into the "evil ex" category within the second half. Additionally, Kaliya being way too quick to forgive him every time he pushes her away really started to bother me as the book went on- unfortunately, she began to feel like a bit of a doormat until very late in the book.
There were so many miscommunications between the characters, and since we kept having the push-pull dynamic until very late in the book along with a third act breakup that, while it wasn't the worst I've read by far, I did feel like their relationship development would have been better served by them tackling the evil ex's scheming as a team, rather than having another period of them putting a stop to their relationship due to conflict. By the end, I kind of still felt like they could be looking at a very rocky future, since we never see them face a roadblock and work through the issue together.
I did enjoy a lot of the discussions between characters about race and privilege in Hollywood, and I would love to read his parent's love story! The story within this story of them falling in love were some of my favourite parts of this book.
