Talya Kaye

***Mild Spoilers*** I’ve been sitting with this book to really process how I feel, and my thoughts haven’t shifted much: I still don’t like Josiah. It isn’t burning hatred, but I can’t say I love him either. That said, I do understand him. Grief makes people do strange things, and I personally know what it’s like to push pain aside until the funeral, so I can recognize that he was hurting deeply. But while I can understand his grief, I can’t excuse how he failed Yasmen in hers. For a man so set on protecting the family dynamic, he completely abandoned it when she needed him most. Throughout the story, Josiah acknowledged Yasmen’s struggles, but it often circled back to placing the bulk of the blame on her. He treated divorce like it was her idea alone, when in reality his words and actions gave her no other choice. He could’ve handled Deja so much better too. The moment Deja began disrespecting her mother, Josiah should have stepped in and had that solid conversation BUT he let it fester until it boiled over. His selfishness blinded him to his responsibility as both husband and father. Vashti and Mark, on the other hand, were basically filler. They served their purpose in moving the story along but had no lasting impact. You could tell Yasmen and Josiah weren’t truly invested in those relationships, so their inclusion didn’t add much weight. And then there’s the romance. I don’t actually think Josiah and Yasmen love each other — not in a way that feels sustainable. Their rekindling leaned so heavily on lust. Every glance, every laugh, every touch came back to sex. Even Josiah pointed this out, asking Yasmen whether her feelings would last once the hormones calmed down. It was a fair question, even if hypocritical, since he was rowing the same boat. Where was the emotional intimacy? What do they love about each other beyond physical attraction? Without that, another divorce feels inevitable. As for Deja, I struggled with her. I can sympathize with the impact divorce has on kids, but her anger wasn’t really about the separation itself — it was about Yasmen leaving Josiah. And given that the kids overheard plenty of fights, Deja must have known it wasn’t one-sided. She simply chose to side with the parent who gave her more freedom. Despite all this, the book was incredible. The characters were messy in ways that felt intentional, not sloppy. Kennedy Ryan’s writing is beautiful, layered, and empathetic, and that’s what kept me hooked. Even though I can’t stand Josiah, the prose made me want them to find their way back. That tension is what makes the story unforgettable. This isn’t a 5-star read for me, Josiah’s lack of accountability and the lust-over-love angle held it back, but it’s a strong 4. Kennedy Ryan knows how to write the hell out of complicated love.