Right in the feels

"Okay, I'm just gonna say it. This book HURT. In the best way possible. You know those stories where you go in expecting one thing, some heat, some banter, a cocky hero getting knocked down a peg, and then suddenly you're crying into your pillow at 1 AM questioning everything you know about love and grief and second chances? Yeah. That's this one. But here's the thing nobody tells you about this book. It's not actually about the night they spent together fifteen years ago. It's about everything that happened AFTER. It's about the life Evie built. The person she loved. The loss she carries every single day like a second skin. And the terrifying, impossible realization that maybe, just maybe, she deserves to feel something again. Cody isn't just chasing a memory. He's chasing HER. All of her. The messy, grieving, fiercely guarded woman who built walls so high even she can't see over them anymore. And the way he pursues her? Respectful. Patient. Devastatingly persistent in all the right ways. He doesn't try to erase her past. He doesn't get jealous of the man she lost. He just... stays. Shows up. Proves that wanting her doesn't mean diminishing what she had. And Evie? My GOD, Evie. Her journey from "I can't" to "maybe I'm allowed to" absolutely wrecked me. Because grief doesn't have an expiration date. And loving someone new doesn't mean you stopped loving the one you lost. This book understands that on a cellular level. If you want a story about healing, about carrying love for someone who's gone while making space for someone who's HERE, about the absolute terror of letting yourself be happy again? Read it. But maybe keep the tissues handy. And a comfort blanket. And someone to hug when you're done. Because this one stays with you. "