Welp, the deeply disappointing ending dropped this book a whole star for me. I'm so frustrated! Without spoiling too much, the twist invalidates Grace's journey entirely for me. I don't understand the message the author was trying to convey here. Sure, Grace makes a lot of dark choices and is a deeply flawed character, but I still wanted to root for her. If the idea was to punish Grace for her sins,

why do that by stripping her of everything she worked for and handing it to yet another manipulative man who is no less morally gray than she is? It is like the author wants to condemn her but doesn't provide any meaningful or satisfying consequence - just another cycle of exploitation.

If we're meant to root for Grace as an anti-hero, the ending should have given more weight to her journey. In the end, Grace

remains powerless and unchanged. Worse than that, the author seems to suggest that Grace's best choice is to return to the safety of a family who never really loved her or understood her because it is "safe."

Grace’s moral downfall could have been impactful if it led to something more thought-provoking rather than simply resetting her circumstances and doubling down on the notion that women, regardless of how clever or ruthless they are, can't escape male dominance. I frantically went looking for the sequel, hoping that the next installment would give Grace a chance to fight back, but there is nothing further. The reason this book is even getting 3.0 is because I loved it so much until that less 10%.