Well, I loved this book. I mean, I loved the story, and I loved Leland since The Good Liar, so I was looking forward to reading his book! But... you might be wondering if I loved it that much, why 4 stars instead of 5. (Beware that may be spoilers).

And that's because this book has two things that I'm not a fan of. The first, when the story spans several years, when it could have been much less. Life is too short to waste so many years, especially when it comes to adults who know that they need to correct their mistakes. And in this case, one of the MCs had many opportunities to put his life in order and make amends. And he consciously chose to continue making mistakes.

The second, Franklin. I tried. I really tried to feel something more for this man than disgust. I tried to see why Leland couldn't forget him. What was so remarkable about him that made him so unforgettable. And yes, Leland described him as powerful, with an imposing and sensual presence, which overshadowed the rest, etc. etc. But to me, the way he treated Leland, his wife and his children? That overshadowed everything powerful and sensual etc. that Franklin possessed. And what bothers me the most about him is that he's a grown ass man who knew that with his actions he was hurting others, and instead of saying "Oh shit! Look what I did! I'm going to apologize and try not to do it again! I need to change!", his mantra was "Oh well, I can't help it, I'm going to continue doing all these things that hurt those who, according to me, I love the most." What kind of love is that? And seriously, 8 years to realize he needs therapy? So no. And I'm really disappointed, because in The Good Liar, obviously without knowing the background, I liked Franklin. I thought 'Wow, a father who made a mistake and as soon as he could he came running to help his son despite the lies and secrets...' But now that I know the background? Knowing that he let not only his son, but his stepson suffer for years, for no other reason than his own selfishness? NOPE. No matter how much redemption he did in the last 2 or 3 chapters of the book, I would have liked another man for Leland. Someone who from the beginning, knowing everything Leland suffered, everything he went through, put him first in his life. Someone would choose him first and not when all the obstacles are gone, instead of abandoning and ghosting him at the first opportunity, leaving him broken for years.

Ah and I want to mention I didn't like Noon either. He might've been a good friend in the past, but during these years? From the beginning of this story we see a friend who ghosts the other just because he's starting a new life with his partner and is about to move away. Then for days and sometimes weeks he doesn't answer his calls or messages, and only appears to make Franklin jealous, and disappears again... A friend who knows that he is the only one Leland has, and knows how much Leland suffered during his childhood and adolescence, the abandonment and other atrocities that his mother committed against him... And then he gets angry when Leland also disappears for weeks? And so it goes... Let's say it. The only real friend here is Cole. Who despite all the secrets and lies (those two words again) knew how to listen and support him when the moment of truth arrived.

So, as I said before, now you're probably wondering how I liked this story so much that I gave it 4 stars even though I didn't like anything about one of his MCs? Because it's RAW, and EMOTIONAL, and PAINFUL. Because there is a LONGING SO DEEP that it lasts through the years, and nothing Leland does can make it go away. Because there is a LOVE SO STRONG, although I cannot understand what sustained that love for so long, that despite the wounds and scars that that love brought and left in the life of one of these MCs, at the end he was able to heal, or try to heal and grow. So I took this story between two people and turned it into the story of one person, where this person is able to survive and overcome the hardest moments, and open HIS PETALS TO THE SUN AS A DAISY AFTER A STORM

I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.