Every character felt supernaturally mature and understanding which was great. At the same time I missed the drama that Thayer’s ex provided in the first book.

And after all this, after she finally tells him the truth at 30%, nothing really happens for the final 70%. It’s basically one long epilogue. No angst. No conflict. Nothing. So it was really all for nothing. Which makes me wish that this story had ended in book one and I could have avoided all this unnecessary drama and frustration. Salem. She's become selfish in this one. Some of the decisions she made were questionable. Caleb and Thayer both deserve better. I would not even want to be friends with a character like that👀Also, she's obviously older in this one but she still talks like an 18 year old. Now, six years have passed, and during that time, Salem became a mother to her five-year-old child named Seda. She started a relationship with Caleb and eventually married him, although she knew deep down that she could never love him the same way she loved Thayer. Being a scientist who enjoys experimenting on unsuspecting individuals, she married Caleb with the belief that she could develop love for him. Also not to just keep going in on this book but given the amount of times she says in her inner monologue how much she loves Thayer(which was just read really odd, lots of telling and not showing in this one) by the end of the duet I couldn’t remember like a single thing that she does for him other than bring him cupcakes. That mans entire existence pretty much revolved around thinking of things he could do for her, which honestly got to be a little much anyway, like I don’t know if this man had a personality by the end of it outside of ‘must do random nice things for Salem’Salem named their daughter Seda, and it means ''spirit of the forest'' an homage to Forrest. I loved that she did not keep Thayer and Forrest's existence from Seda and had her understanding what happened and why they were not around. the hero thayer. he's a dilf daddy and the things that he did for salem when he JUST met her... 😭 have mercy, a girl can only take so much before she combusts! My guy then goes on to say, "I'm not bright like you, but I promise, when your days are dark, I'll be your light." 😭😭❤️ I felt absolutely heartbroken when her mother confesses that she has breast cancer, but I was glad when she survived the chemo and surgery though it seemed unfair for a woman who went through hell to have to go through this too. I am sorry If my review seems a bit odd,but I am just still under the book's influence, even so that I have read it 3 days ago. Honestly, some of my words are failing right now. I will probably add some more to the review, but It will be at a later date.

This is everything I dislike in a book and more. I tried, I really did but I cannot and will not look past some key points. It was hard to enjoy any “good moments” because of the whole unnecessary shit. Anyways, one aspect that continues to both amaze and bother me is how every character in this duet consistently praises Salem, emphasizing her goodness, selflessness, and the need for her to be less hard on herself. They highlight how she always prioritizes others over herself and shouldn't judge herself so harshly. However, the moment Caleb acts slightly out of character, which isn't even a selfish act, he is immediately labeled as selfish, and the DNA card is played. Take a look at the following not-so-subtle dialogue:

Series Reading Order

However I did think that some scenes were rushed that should have been more detailed since they were important to the development of the story. The plot-twist caught me off guard even though there was foreshadowing and I kind of had the gut feeling that something was going to happen. I thought this book would maybe be more of a slow burn as I assumed there would be a lot of grovelling on both Thayer’s side (for how he treated her before their break up) and from Salem’s side (for keeping their daughter a secret) but by 30% both characters forgave each other, and very easily at that. There was NO GROVELING from the heroine’s side. Meanwhile the hero did lots of cute things in the time they were apart that showed he still loved her.

Gets divorced because “her heart has always belonged to another” so she wasted basically the OM’s time knowing he loved her Salem married the man she had originally cheated on (in book) ONE YEAR after the final fallout with Thayer It ends on a cliffhanger and the whole event is very traumatic. I still haven't been able to start the sequel. It broke my heart. It is unnecessary AS A BOOK because this should have been an epilogue or just an extended chapter of the first book.Their chemistry is sizzling 🥵🥵🥵 Yes the spice is pretty good. So if you just want to read it for that purpose and the sexual tension you won't be disappointed. The two connect so well and honestly I love seeing them together. made a home gym for salem to work out in, so she wouldn't go out for late-night runs by herself! (he also ran with her at first) There might be nothing sweeter or more emotional than this little girl talking to her brother’s grave.

Now, before you read this review, refer to my review of the first book to understand this better: (if you haven't read the duet) Thayer and Salem are the cutest couple ever. Thayer is a hottie and is super loveable. I love him he is definitely one of my new book boyfriends. Salem has Caleb who has been her boyfriend for a few years and her best friend but they are growing apart and spend most of the summer before he heads to Harvard apart (mostly because his mother makes it happen via different ways) and Salem cannot help but feel something extremely deep with Thayer and that leads to them sleeping with each other while she is still with Caleb, she goes to his dorm room the next day and ends their relationship - opting out of telling him about Thayer.

There is also foreshadowing about Thayer not knowing how to be a girl dad (when he gets a puppy for Forrest) and this of course directly connects to the fact Salem had a baby girl. I was going to give this book 1 star, but the ending made me give 0 (if possible). I can't express my hatred for that devastating and unnecessary situation, and especially how the heroine handled it, I've honestly never met a character as selfish as her, the way she compared the pain of both, and how she wanted him to choose her in that moment that he had lost so and was completely broken.