K
komic
July 17, 2025
Highly recommend
So well written and excellent character development. I couldn’t put it down.
4.3 / 5.0
Published: 2025
Description
Emily appears to have scripted the perfect life: a sophisticated Upper East Side townhouse, two thriving children, and a husband whose devotion seems unwavering. Yet, behind the polished facade of her adulthood, a hollow ache persists. Her marriage is fraying, her family ties are strained, and her heart remains anchored to a ghost from her past.
That ghost resurfaces in the form of Gen Hall, the girl Emily loved with a feverish, all-consuming intensity during high school. But the Gen who walks back into her life is no longer the scrappy, impoverished teenager Emily once knew; she is a world-renowned Olympic icon navigating a life of fame and high-stakes relationships.
When their paths collide at a Manhattan party, the dormant magnetic pull between them flares into a dangerous, electric reality. As they dance around the wreckage of their shared history, Emily is forced to confront the ultimate question: is the siren song of a long-lost love worth dismantling the life she has painstakingly built? Radiant and raw, this story navigates the complexities of queerness, ambition, and the terrifying vulnerability of a second chance. It is a stunning portrait of what we sacrifice for the people who once defined our world.
Customer Reviews
Top 5 from Amazon S
sc510
December 18, 2025
Such a moving story!
Beautifully written, emotional, coming-of-age story. The audiobook is very well narrated.
The emotions in this story feel so raw and honest that I found myself pausing to breathe them in. The author captured love, grief, and longing with such tenderness that it felt as if you were experiencing them alongside the characters.
D
DG Habitués
April 21, 2026
An excellent book
This book is really well written and beautifully narrated. At times, however, I thought the dialogue was completely unrealistic. People don't really converse the way these characters do. The novel is also marred in places by the author's tendency toward unnecessary displays of erudition. Still, I enjoyed it.
K
Karen Bayer
July 8, 2025
Not ordinary love
I found the book boring-lots of talking, not much happening and depressing.
J
Jessica
July 23, 2025
An important queer story about finding yourself
I stayed up until 2 am last night because I could not physically rip myself away from this book!
If you were a fan of In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado for its accurate, poignant glimpse into abuse- this book is for you. I have never seen a book so clearly and distinctly show the cycle of abuse. I love the way this book jumps around in timelines, starting off with the final event that forced her to leave her abuser, and then going back in time and showing the ways in which abuse creeps in, amplifies, and normalizes in your life. We follow Emily, a queer woman, whose neglectful childhood and internalized homophobia echoes in the background of her subconscious when she is deciding every step of the way to leave her relationship. We watch how a “nice, caring” man who loves to spoil you and take care of you quickly can turn into financial, psychological, and physical abuse. We see all the ways she talks doubts and gaslights herself into normalizing his behavior, we see her being forced into a dependent relationship, and we see how quickly time can pass until you realize how far deep you are in it until you lose memory of who you were before. This was haunting, gripping, and so real. We watch a woman find strength in community, friendship, true love, and herself to leave and it’s beautiful.
In the background we get one of the most beautiful sapphic love stories as well. Emily’s childhood best friend and first love Gen. Their devotion to each other, the way they see…
