This was a very interesting book that I wouldn't categorize as romance but more as women's fiction. Serena Singh is a complicated woman who is struggling with what she wants for herself and out of her family, friends, and future. The horrors of making friends as an adult are a huge part of this book, and I could relate SO much, even though I'm much younger than Serena. She's also learning to have adult relationships with her parents/sister and what she wants from a long-lasting romance. There's a second-chance romance in this, but it is a tertiary plotline that doesn't have much resolution until the end. 

Serena is a complicated narrator, and while she sometimes struggles with considering others, you can't help but wish the best for her. She cares deeply, even if it doesn’t always show. Even when Serena was at her worst, she was still doing what she thought was right, even though she was misguided. 

I thought the storytelling around her parents' marriage was really well-written, with discussions around former abuse, alcoholism, cultural expectations, generational misogyny, and more. Moments from her mom's perspective really help to widen the world and help us see how Serena is struggling. 

Lalli is a gorgeous writer with vibrant characters whose worlds keep spinning after the end of the book and I'll certainly read more!