Greer and her best friends, Kit and Zoe, went in together and bought lottery tickets. When they won, she would finally make a long-time dream of hers come true. She wanted to get a college degree. Greer was in the last stages of finalizing what she needed to graduate when she found out that one of her art classes would not count because it was not a studio art class. Her advisor told her she had the option to make an appeal to the chair of the studio art apartment or wait to graduate. She was devastated. Kit’s older brother, Alex, unexpectedly came into town. Alex was an award-winning photographer who traveled the world and would be in town longer than usual. Greer approached Alex with a plan to get the studio arts head to give her a chance to graduate on time. The department chair was a photographer and she hoped Alex could help sway the deal. The chair would allow Greer to earn the credit she needed by attending an adult education photography class if Alex agreed to do some class visits and a few university art events. Alex agreed. Greer and Alex started out as friends while Alex showed her how to work with her camera to take the best photos. By the end of the class, they were more than friends, but he had a life of travel and Greer was happy living where she was.

I really loved these two characters. Greer had been born with a Chiari malformation and had several surgeries to correct it. She would forever need to be careful in what she did physically, but she planned to have the best life possible. Greer was positive, loyal, and loving. Alex was also loyal and loving, but unresolved family trauma had left him with panic attacks. I felt that Clayborn wrote these characters realistically and honestly. The other characters in the book were also well written. This book pulled at my heartstrings and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Slow at first, this book did  not take off immediately for me, perhaps due to the meandering narrative, but soon I am sucked into the Clayborn's  portrayal of two imperfect characters trying to come to terms with their fragility. 

Usually timid Greer harbors a secret: 

due to a chronic illness,

  she's tired of getting treated with kids' gloves by her family, thus when she asks her bestfriend's brother for help on a school project, she does so reluctantly. 

Famous photographer Alex does not stay long at one place, so it's highly unusual for him to grant his sister's bestfriend a favor by agreeing to stick around for a month. After all, this is only the second time they met, since their initial meeting a few years ago didn't go too well . 

The way that Greer unwittingly opens up to Alex, and the way that Alex unknowingly becomes fascinated with Greer, is so delectable and delicate, like a cocoon slowly opening up to become a butterfly. 

Clayborn's writing is phenomenal, as well as sensual without being vulgar or salacious.  I also liked how mental illness is treated here with Patricia, being such an unorthodox but likeable therapist. 

At the end, I loved how Greer finally allowed herself to be vulnerable, despite years of asserting her independence and how Alex lets himself be grounded in one place and realizes that being tethered does not mean he's trapped. I also liked where there's no finite certainty of their future, but at least they make efforts to try their luck.  

Clayborn writes particularly loveable characters and is great at fitting familiar tropes with the specific details of their lives. I really enjoyed Greer and Alex’s story and love to see on-page therapy (and have it be an important part of the plot’s resolution!)