5 stars Sometimes, I think I’m going to run out of positive words to express the transcendence of Piper Lawson’s writing. Time after time, she demonstrates her ability to reach into my chest and yank out my heart, stomp on it, then piece it back together and leave me feeling so overwhelmed, it’s as if I’ve experienced the heartbreak and love myself. It’s for this reason that I will continue to read her books, and I’m so grateful this is not one of those dreaded cliffhangers (which I hate, but I will read anyway). If you think this is going to be some best-friends-to-lovers or fake-boyfriend/girlfriend trope, you're right. And you’re dead wrong, because it is so much more than that. You might think you know where it’s going, and sure, eventually it gets there, but the journey to the destination is not clearly mapped out so you get to experience every up and down between them, every excruciating emotion, every realization and step in their growth as people. If you’re looking for something light and breezy, this book isn’t for you—this author isn’t for you. Piper probes deeply with an intensity that forces you to feel, just as she forces her characters to do. And, in some esoteric fashion that makes no sense to me, she makes the reader grow too. There is relationship wisdom buried in the pages of this book, and although calling it a relationship self-help book would be a stretch, it certainly has some of the necessary elements to help anyone struggling with some of the issues addressed. And if I had to sum up the theme in just a few words, I’d use Piper’s own words: “You have a soft heart. Don’t be afraid to share it with the right person for fear of it being broken. Hearts don’t get stronger from being protected. They get stronger from being used.” Aside from the plot, one of the things I like about Piper’s books is that many of her characters are so clever. They say the kinds of things my friends and I might say to one another, or wish we were clever enough to say. Some of the conversations/comments I especially loved were these, so I’ll end with a few quotes: “How’s the fugue state working out?” Daisy murmurs so only I can hear. “You’ve been staring out the window for five minutes.” ———————--- She arches a brow. “What would you like me to wear?” It’s not a genuine question. It’s a taunting reminder I’m being a dick. I ignore it. “Something that matches the hardwood in my living room. Because your clothes will be spending more time on it than on you.” ————————- “Shaving hasn’t gone out of style, you know.” “I’ve had other priorities.” “There’s pizza in your beard. Got you.” October 16, 2020
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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