This was slightly disappointing, not due to the plot, but due to two characters.

After the incident that upended the lives of all the Eastons, Hadley Easton had to pay for it by being stuck in her house and following rules that suffocated her. She was the one who was seen as a freak for being locked away in her home. The only person who understood her need for control and freedom was Calder. Her brother's best friend, who became an important part of her life.

Now, years later, Calder isn't the same person he was. Marred by the guilt and regrets of his past, he walked away from Hadley too, and things have never been the same between them again.

But someone is hell bent on taking away Hadley's freedom—the life she has created for herself and her reprieve from the world. When Calder finds out, he steps in to make sure she's okay, and it feels harder to walk away this time.
----------------------------------------------------------------


After feeling trapped for so long and walking on eggshells around her mom, Hadley desperately needed her freedom and some sense of control in her life. She chased that adrenaline and the sense of freedom she got with it. But no one knows about the double life she's leading while she also works as an EMT. The videos she made for her channel were more like an outlet for her to put her feelings out there and not feel so lonely, while also meeting more people who she can connect with and help.

Calder had his own issues after what went down with his ex and how close he came to losing everything while he was busy chasing the next thrill with Hadley. This changes him completely, and he tries to shut down the part of him that seeks the rush, the thrill, and the action. Now he wants to play it safe for his girls, which is why he also keeps his distance from Hadley.

Birdie and Sage were really adorable, and I loved their bond with Hadley and how they were furious on her behalf and felt her feelings. Hadley had been in their lives from the day they were born and has her own with both Sage and Birdie, who are so different from each other.

I really liked how Hayes took a stand for Hadley with his mom, knowing how much he didn't enjoy conflicts. He was so supportive throughout and also didn't give Calder shit for dating his sister and was just overall happy for both of them.

I had nothing against the plot and the suspense, which I am a fan of when it comes to Catherine Cowles. She manages to keep you at the edge of your seat and guessing throughout the book. I was hooked. I was totally invested in knowing who was targeting Hadley and how it would turn out, which didn't disappoint.

What I didn't like:
What I had an issue with were Hadley's mom and Calder.

I really wish Calder had groveled more for the stunt he pulled in the past, after his divorce. The things he said to her were too hurtful, especially knowing how her mom treated her. After being her confidant for so many years, he basically said the things he knew caused her pain. Calder was also the one who got her used to becoming an adrenaline junkie and was right by her side for years, up until the incident with his ex-wife.

It's understandable to let your emotions get the best of you and say things you didn't mean, but Calder had four years to talk it out with Hadley and clear things up. Instead, he let his own guilt over his past cloud him, and he took that out on Hadley by disapproving of everything she did to seek the thrill and freedom she needed. Even in the present, he said a lot of things that were mean. AND he always sided with her mom, ever since they had a fallout. I also expected him to stand up to her mom sooner after they began working on being friends again.

I couldn't really see the transition between them going from friends to lovers. Strangers to friends again was still okay, even if there was a lot of back and forth, but then the jump from friends to lovers didn't really do it for me, and it just felt like it was done because it had to be done. Again, it comes back to me personally feeling that Calder didn't put in the time and effort needed to fix all the damage he had done and earn her.

When it comes to her mom, Julia, I honestly cannot like her even in the next book because of how terrible and rude she was with Hadley throughout the book. It was toxic AF, and I hate that no one from her family stood up for her till almost the 70% mark. They all just kept saying both were right in their own way (which wasn't true) and that her mom did love her and acted that way because of that (debatable). They were all just enabling Julia for years and didn't reprimand her for the way she behaved because, honestly, she was SO far out of line. Hadley truly deserved better. And that ending where Julia has just started therapy and says like two lines to apologize to her and talks about not having dealt with the past can't make up for how awful she was to Hadley throughout the book. Even if Hadley forgave her, I couldn't.