Truly exceptional right from the beginning, starting with a beautiful opening scene that introduces us to our hero Judah and some of his circumstances and family structure. Even from the beginning, it is clear that Judah is such an emotionally mature man who truly sees the women in his life as equals in all things. I loved how much backstory is naturally packed into and crucial to Soledad’s character exploration, especially her understanding of her mother as a woman and her mother’s romantic journey, whilst also maneuvering a new type of grief about her mother’s death as she navigates this new chapter in her life. Soledad is such a passionate character and she gives so much energy into all of her emotions, even her rage; I loved how unmitigated and righteous her rage is and how much space is given to her rage. Soledad rides so hard for her daughters and this had me cheering “yes, mama, protect those babies!” several times while reading, and the journey she and her daughters take is so beautiful and heartwarming. The importance and celebration of Black sisterhood is profound and a crucial aspect of Soledad’s journey and community, both between her and her besties Yasmen & Hendrix and her biological sisters Nayeli and Lola. And y’all, this is truly a slow-burn but this slow burn was burnin’! Judah and Soledad rarely touch in the first half but their chemistry is just so steamy and magnetic right from the jump. The way Sol & Judah start off seems so much like a first/new crush, and it was quite endearing to follow their journey as they both rediscovered their power.