book genre: fiction, family drama
pace: medium
storyline: ★★★★✩
characters: ★★★★★
character development: ★★★★★
writing: ★★★★★
diversity: didn't pay attention to it.... sorry
attention to detail: ★★★✩✩
ending: ★★★★✩
originality: ★★★★✩
is there smut? no

EVERYTIME. EVERYTIME I READ A BOOK BY TJR, I'm like 'can this be as good as people say it is? doubt it' and she KINDLY hands my ass back to me.

She makes us smile and cry for despicable characters, and for our favorite ones. Reading one of her book is a whole year of therapy, I swear. I highlight stuff, ask myself questions, reflect upon them.

She brings out the best, and the worst of humanity. This book as so many characters it was sometimes hard to follow but somehow they all made sense.

For Nina, who never lived a day for herself.
''Do you know hoe much a body can weigh when it falls into you arms, helpless? Multiply it by three. Nina carried it all. All of the weight, in her arms, on her back.''

For Jay, who doesn't know how to be on his own.
''But they were not the same men. They were not haunted by the same demons, they were fighting for different things.''

For Hud, who was never sure he fitted in.
''Her back was turned, quite literally, to her flesh and blood.''

For Kit, who just wanted space to exist without expectations.
''How were you supposed to change - in ways both big and small - when your family was always there to remind your exactly the person you apparently signed an ironclad contract to be?''

For Casey, who faces the unknown with the biggest balls known to mankind.
''She's looking for family, (...) sounds familiar?''

For June, who prepared for the worst but hoped for the best - for her and her kids.
''And on and on it went. Small boundaries broken, snapped like tiny twigs, so many that June barely noticed he was coming for the whole tree.''

For Mick, who repeated his history on a loop, afraid to leave this somewhat comfortable pattern.
''Malibu catches fire.
It is simply what Malibu does from time to time. (...)
Because, just as it is in Malibu's nature to burn, so was it in one particular person's nature to set fire and walk away.''


This was beautiful. This had depth. I'm grateful to have existed in the same era as this book. I'm grateful I got to read it.