Heartwarming and surprising not much of a light read about fame, romance and friendship, but also making mistakes and forgiving yourself.

When I first saw this book, I IMMEDIATELY fell in love with the cover and there was mo going back from that point. I loved the colors, the faceless woman, the chaotic but vibrant pattern and finally the title. I thought it's gotta be a book for me, and heck, how much did I need this. However, it's not the light romance I had expected, but rather a bittersweet story of what it means to grow up and how to be an adult.

This novel follows Chase London, a young, struggling actress making one desperate mistake after another. This was important to me because it makes the main characters flawed, even unlikable. But as the plot progresses, we fall for Chase and her journey to 'Adulting' - basically coming of age for a grown woman. Her self-destructive behavior has put her in a bad place just as much as the trauma she experienced at the hands of other people. That being said, it is important to warn readers of triggers i.e. alcohol and drug abuse, as well as sexual and child abuse.

I fell love with the complex characters who were going through truly relatable struggles as well as joys. Good read.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an unexpected book in that there were so many emotions that were generated by this book. Be forewarned- difficult topics were addressed that could be triggers and they were necessary to get at the healing of three very damaged souls.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I thank NetGalley for an early copy. This was a beautifully written book detailing the growing friendship between a counselor, Olivia, and her patient, Chase. Olivia is tasked with making sure that Chase, an actress, sticks to a drug free life and heals, to accept life and reality as an adult. I loved the concept and watching these two characters grow (and Olivia’s sister Neve also features heavily in this book). This is less a romance (although there is love) and more a look into how being an adult may be difficult but necessary to put a bad past behind you. I really enjoyed reading this book and didn’t want to stop. This book is poignant and well written and will stay with me for a while.

I absolutely loved this book! I was a little hesitant in the beginning - party girl hits rock bottom and goes through extreme therapy felt a little contrived and done to death, but after I got past the first few chapters I was hooked. Olivia and Chase are both incredibly complex and relatable characters who both show immense growth throughout the book.

It definitely has some intense subject matter (CW - rape, sexual abuse, substance abuse, suicide) but the way it is handled feels real and not over dramatized. The flashbacks to more intense moments definitely have some shock value, as any writing surrounding these topics does, but doesn't feel sensationalized. I appreciated the raw emotion we got to see (mostly from Olivia and Neve) surrounding the traumas of their past.

I could not put this book down and can't wait for it to be available to the public next year! Do not skip this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this eARC!

3.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

First of all this book has trigger warnings for drug and alcohol abuse, as well as mentions of rape, suicide, and child abuse.

This book follows actress Chase London whose life has been in a downward spiral lately, and Olivia Han, a life coach that leads people through an 'adulting' boot camp as a form of therapy. Olivia is hired to get Chase's life back on track, but while helping her patient, she finally has to deal with some of her own problems as well.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. I mistakenly thought it was going to be a sapphic romance between the therapist and her patient, but I am okay with the relationships that actually occurred. This book is less of a romance and more just contemporary fiction about getting your life together after a life of struggle and hardships. It is about learning who you are and choosing to do what you want with your life.

One thing that bothered me was that some of the dialogue sounded way to scripted/therapy-babble/poetic for it to be realistic. Also the epilogue was entirely unnecessary but, overall, very enjoyable read.

Again, thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book.

This book was a bit of a hard read. Not because it wasn’t good, quite the opposite. It was a very touch subject matter. But it was very well done and it’s not the subject matter that defines the character but how she handles it.