Love, however, rarely comes easily, and both Patience and Lennox have unresolved issues in their personal lives that they need to come to peace with before they can truly become invested in each other. Banks dramatizes these with power and weight, connecting readers to the individual humanity of these characters. Meanwhile, constantly waiting in the wings is Daniel, who isn’t as willing to part ways with Patience as his mother wants him to be. Banks doesn’t hold back when it comes to incorporating the complications of a toxic childhood and bad learned behaviors that as a result can have lasting impacts into adulthood, especially in forming deep relationships. Both Patience and Lennox come from homes where they experienced a lot of love, but also witnessed infidelity and abandonment issues.
This leads to some raw, emotionally charged conversations that reveal character as both face or avoid hard truths, though some moments feel too clinical. Banks demonstrates their growing intimacy through pet names and frank, convincing, memorably penned sexual encounters. Patience especially stands as a complex, compelling figure, one whom readers will root for not just to find romance but to increasingly pursue her own ambitions and happiness.
Takeaway: A brutal breakup leads a young woman to a new chance at love while she learns to prioritize herself.
Great for fans of: Kennedy Ryan, Tracy Livesay.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
