Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

CW:Abusive Relationship(Ex-boyfriend), PTSD from said Abusive Relationship

Naya is trying to find her footing after letting work at the University take the main focus in her life after the relationship with her ex. Trying something new, Naya goes to a bar and inadvertently picks up Jake thinking she would have a one night stand, but it quickly turned into more. Their fling turns serious just as she finds that Jake might be tasked with auditing her department for cuts and the life she has built for herself is in the balance. Will she have to choose between the job she has found purpose in and a man that she has finally allowed into her heart?

I’m looking at Goodreads and this is listed as Chick Lit and while I can see why because there is a very serious topic of domestic abuse, I would say there is a good mix between the romance and Naya’s personal growth.

This title could easily be triggering for some. I would steer clear of it especially if the wounds are fairly fresh because there is a mix of vulnerability and weakness that Naya goes through before she finally finds her footing and it really does drop you into her mindset. It feels very real and for someone who might have gone through a similar situation, it could be upsetting.

I did appreciate how how it was all done in the end and in spite of it being triggering, I think it could also be kind of a feeling of hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is something that someone can heal from. You can have an amazing and fulfilling life after having these experiences.

It’s important to see domestic violence and abuse in this sort of light, not making it a major part of of the plot and not relegating it to Naya’s backstory but woven into her character development over the course of the novel culminating to a place of strength.