Emma and Justin share a common dating pattern. Everyone they date ends up with a soulmate shortly after they break up. 

The two hatch a plan to break the curse: they’ll go through the motions of dating each other and then find the loves of their lives after the breakup. Easy peasy, right?

So Emma and her best friend take a temporary nursing assignment in Minneapolis to be close to Justin for the required duration of the dating plan, but as these things go, dating starts to seem not-so-fake after all. The feelings start to feel real. 

Emma doesn’t ever establish roots, but Justin’s are tangled up with his family in Minneapolis. Will they go their separate ways, or are they meant to grow together?

First off, Justin is a treasure. (I almost made that statement my full review because he is reason enough to read this book.)

Secondly, I adored the strong friendships portrayed in this book and the depiction of how people show up for those that they love.

But it wouldn’t be an Abby Jimenez book without a hefty dose of heaviness included, so expect to see mental health issues, grief, and portrayals of how trauma impacts families and individuals detailed on these pages.

The book will make you grin, but it will also break your heart some before piecing it back together.

Abby Jimenez loves to drop in Easter egg references to her other books, so fans should expect to see some familiar names in this one. While you could read this as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Part of Your World and Yours Truly first.

I received an advance copy of the book from Forever and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.