UGHHH this was so cute and so good and cozy and so emotional!!!! I loved every single bit of this story, from dealing with love and loss and grief and cadence, to the romcom vibe of the town of Honey Creek and all its crazy characters. Yara and Alex were a perfectly crafted couple, and their hate to love relationship was done organically!!! I just really love the writing Cherry does, and the fact that all of her characters of color feel real and palatable, never a stereotype or caricature. And also, it was so refreshing to read a romance book with no third act breakup… just falling in love and dealing with the demons and trauma of their pasts together. I appreciated the fact that both Alex and Yara had visible character development, along with Alex’s development of the town, and I also love that even though he was the grumpy black cat boyfriend, he had character growth without sacrificing that aspect of him. This is my second book read by Cherry, and I cannot wait to dive into more!

So I went to a Christina Lauren event, and Brittainy Cherry was the ~in conversation with~ person. I loved her as a person at that event, so I decided to put some of her books on hold at the library. This is the first I’ve read by her, and I loved it! 
I really like the characters. I saw some other reviewers were struggling with Alex because he’s an asshole in the beginning, and yes he is, but also he’s an asshole in the way that I too have been when you’re having a shitty day/week/month, and you take it out on people who are in there at the wrong time in your life/moment. Of course it’s not healthy/right, but we’re people. Alex and Yara feel like real people because they have flaws but also acknowledge and grow from them. Excited to read the next book.