There’s nothing that Marisa de los Santos writes that I won’t read. Her writing is warm and accessible, like open arms welcoming us into the story ... Often in books, I’m frustrated when characters don’t talk directly to one another or don’t ask a tough question, but while there are misunderstandings and things that go unspoken, de los Santos lets her characters confront one another. They have difficult conversations, they call each other out, they connect and relate in an active, real way so that we understand when they keep something to themselves ... In true Marisa de los Santos fashion, she weaves a compelling, wisely plotted story with characters you want to hang out with and have as friends. She addresses weighty issues with beautiful prose, and while her writing is elegant and gorgeously crafted, it’s approachable, never sentimental, haughty or pretentious ... earns five stars.
As fans know, de los Santos uses exquisitely luxurious, poetic writing to tell her characters’ stories. She knows exactly where she’s going and how and when to get there. The rhythm of the prose will more than please those who love the thoughtful, precise language of Anne Tyler and Joshilyn Jackson.
Alternating viewpoints, from the journal entries to Ginny and Avery in the present, give the story more perspective and slowly build the tension as the truth of what really happened 20 years ago is revealed. Smart prose and sharply drawn characters set this domestic drama apart in best-selling de los Santos’s latest...
While there are touching moments...the protagonists are so flatly drawn that it’s hard to feel much empathy for their dilemmas ... Obvious plot contrivances, clunky, cringeworthy descriptions...and writerly dialogue that no human would ever speak also diminish the pleasure ... A flawed tale but the author’s devoted fans will devour it.
