Member Review

Evie and Theo have been friends forever. They're each other's person and know everything there is to know about what makes the other happy or sad. So when Evie finds herself in urgent need of a place to live and good health insurance, Theo suggests a marriage of convenience. So they get married despite the fact that Evie doesn't believe in marriage and Theo has a rather big secret, which is that he's been a bit in love with her forever. What could possibly go wrong?

There are a lot of traumas and secrets in this book, and yet it somehow still manages to be super sweet. Evie had a super tough childhood, is in the running for having some of the worst fictional parents ever, and that's before going into her chronic illness and how she was never listened to for years before finding a diagnosis. Theo's mom lost her battle to cancer, his dad was awful before and became even worse, and he blames himself for Evie being unable to continue in her dream career of dancing. Despite all this, they're somehow very upbeat people who are passionate about their careers and want to help others. They're perfect together, and the only ones who can't seem to see it are them.

I'm impressed that I loved it as much as I did because one of my most hated things in romance is when the leads refuse to communicate and just decide for themselves what the other person is thinking and feeling. But it works with Evie and Theo thanks to whatever writing magic Kanter managed to tap into. It's easy to understand their reticence and where it comes from, so you commiserate with what they're going through instead of wanting to hit them over the head to get over themselves.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the great romance read!