⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
🌶️🌶️ 2/5

Potential Spoilers.....

If you like; brothers best friend, age gap, slow burn romance books.
You NEED to read this book!!!

I received this book as a "advanced reader copy" and I wasn't sure how I would feel about it. By the time I was 30 pages in I was hooked!!!! I read this book in less than 24 hours and I couldn't put it down. I was obsessed with how much the MMC cared about the FMC and wanted to see her happy, even if she didn't think she deserved it at times. The way he helped her in a way that no-one else in her life would was so sweet. I loved Leahs outlook on colors and art as she started getting back to her normal self. The only reason that it didn't get 5 stars was because the ending frustrated me because I now have to wait almost a year to find out what happens left lol.

This book was set in a small little beach town in Australia. Axel (30 year old MMC) moved in next door to his best friend Oliver (29 year old) when he was 7 years old. But when Axel was ten, Olivers' parents had a little girl Leah (19 year old FMC).

18 years later, Leah was driving with her parents and they were in an accident in which both of her parents were killed. Oliver stepped up to take care of his little sister.
The following year he had to travel for work and was going to be out of town 3 weeks out of the month. So he asked Axel if he would be willing to take care of Leah while he was out of town. Axel of course said yes. Not know that Leah had a crush on him from 15 until her parents died. When she comes to stay for the first three weeks Axel realized that she had completely shut herself off to feeling anything at all (happiness, anger, sadness, etc.) and he was determined to get her back to her normal self. As she starts to open herself back up, all those old feelings for Axel start showing back up.
As Axel starts to realize she is not the little girl she once was, he starts to want her more than anything he has ever wanted. But there is the little problem of Oliver and the fact that he would never approve. Will they end up together or will Oliver end up ruining everything????

I enjoyed the romance and angst that occurred in this book. The character development was top tier awesome.

This book just didn’t flow the way I was hoping it would. Sadly I ended up not finishing it despite my hopes to push through.

When writing books that include grief, it can be hard to accurately show how it’s affected all the characters, but in my opinion, Alice Kellen has succeeded; she shows how the death of the couple has affected not only the MC/s but also the side characters. And how they cope with the loss. While the characters have faults within themselves, they deal with them in realistic ways; they are likeable and always have a reason for their actions. There were many times my jaw hung open during this, and I can say with confidence that this book has exceeded my expectations.

However, I would’ve liked to see a better description of what each character looked like, as many readers build pictures in their heads.


Would I recommend this to friends or family?


Yes, I would; it is a gorgeously written book, amazingly poetic, and handles grief and love incredibly well.

Who I would recommend this to:


romance lovers
people who like a bit of a cry
people who enjoy double POVs
hopeless romantics

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I was intrigued by the plot in the summary. However, I found Axel's approach to "helping" Leah with her illness to be frustrating. It's not something that can simply be fixed by someone else, and it's important to treat it as a medical condition. Despite the fact that the author has done research for other books, I don't think it was as reflected in this one.

Sadly, the characters were the worst part of the book for me. Axel's behavior was creepy and inappropriate, and Leah's trauma was used as a plot device. I found it difficult to finish the book.

However, I do understand why some people might enjoy this novel. The 10-year age difference between the main characters might be a concern for some, but I could relate to it. The characters felt authentic, and I appreciated how the author handled mental illness. While the story was predictable, it was still an easy read that focused on character development and a mature relationship in a YA framework.

Overall, I don't think I can recommend this book, but I acknowledge that it could have its appeal for certain readers.

Not for me! DNF. Didn’t realize this was a primarily Spanish audience novel. Which is fine, but I know there’s a lot I won’t get, and because it reads funny for me also.