I went into this story with an intention of liking it, after reading and hearing only positive things about this popular and hyped bestseller. But somehow I ended up feeling quite uncomfortable with the vibe.

The writing style reads smoothly. However, the story gets odd over time and becomes clichéd. We have the young, sweet, female protagonist (with her florist store) and the successful cis male, absolutely attractive and of course rich (a neurosurgeon by the way). This prototypical combination should not be missing in any dime novel. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to read about this handsome, successful man and the cute little girl. I really thought I was through with these stories and they should no longer affect the book market. Think again!  Overall, I also found the other characters to be exhausting in their own ways and they sometimes espoused values and lifestyles that I just can’t identify with.

The book deals with a very complex issue: toxic relationships and domestic violence, which the author doesn’t really know how to deal with. It is a highly difficult psychological subject and that is the other point that makes it hard for me to recommend this book at all, as it can be disturbing for certain people. In my opinion, it takes a lot more to get out of an abusive relationship than the story suggests. The question should be why the main female character got involved in such an unhealthy relationship in the first place!