5 stars Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book from an author I have come to love. This is the story of Riley and Rae, estranged marriage partners who have been in love for as long as they can remember. Rae has carried a secret that she has allowed to fester inside of herself and create a rift in the marriage. Riley, having no clue what caused the rift, is determined to wait her out, to wait until she comes back. Meanwhile, they can't keep their hands off of one another. Rae announces she wants a divorce and Riley explains that since they live in a small town, it's best they remain friends. He convinced her she needs his help in order to hit the dating scene because otherwise people will think they're still together. Of course, it's just his underhanded way of helping her to see they belong together. I love this description of an encounter in which he helps her move a few boxes, allowing her to think he was just on a date with someone else: "See?" he drawled, making a meal it of it. "Isn't being friends great?" Of course, he knows how uncomfortable she is with the whole thing. "And Riley left her there, her cheeks red and flustered, and her mouth full of lies, and found himself smiling all the way home." Later, Riley experiences his own discomfort, trying to keep up the pretense of friendship when he feels so much more for her: "... he waited, trying to exude friendliness without any strings attached. Not an easy thing to do when he thought sometimes that he was made of strings. Woven together, gnarled and matted, and her name imprinted on each and every one." I think what I particularly like about this story is the storytelling. Caitlin Crews uses short sentences that compel you to read the next one. She creates a rhythm that keeps the reader moving forward, in almost the same way that our internal thoughts propel us from one thought to the next. There always seems to be an extra little fragment of a thought tagged onto the end of a sentence. Like we do in our thoughts. Much like I’m attempting to do. There were a few descriptions that I loved for their originality, like this one: "Rae couldn't control her face. She could feel the shapes it was making, but she couldn't seem to do anything about it." The passion between Rae and Riley is inescapable and undeniable, but it is understated, allowing the reader to fill in the blanks. The author's skill with understatement is on full display here, when Riley lets his friend know, in no uncertain terms, that he is not interested in discussing his relationship with Rae: "Riley invited his best friend to perform an unlikely anatomical feat. Brady declined." I liked this observation, which combined not only the author's penchant for understatement, but also her ability to state something profound in simple words: "She shook and shook. And was sure one human body couldn't contain such joy. Which was probably why it was so much better shared between two." It's an emotional read, one which had me feeling the pain of both Riley and Rae, and I was so relieved when they finally figured things out. I loved these characters, their story, and the storytelling of Caitlin Crews. November 27, 2020
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