I thought this book started off well and I did like the author's writing style. Unfortunately, there were way too many places where I had to suspend belief. I didn't believe he would leave Anna without giving her some sort of explanation; he had to know she would search for him. Who gets into a serious relationship, let alone a marriage, without sharing intimate details, like YOUR SISTER DIED? Who gets married without meeting the parents of the perspective spouse and/or receiving a detailed explanation of why they are estranged? Plus, I found myself saying, "For f*&^'s sake" at least a hundred times when yet one more thing went wrong. I mean, come on, seriously, Mark and Anna were walking disasters and both were totally clueless. I actually rooted for Sophie the most and would have preferred a book about her. She and Flora deserved better than the crappy people they had in their lives. I would have given 3 stars, but, in the end, I don't think I'll read another book by this author and 3 stars usually means I'll at least give them another shot.