Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is definitely not your average romance - think Beach Read by Emily Henry, but without the steam. Serena Singh and this cast of characters had me hooked from page one, and I just couldn't put this down. Ok, I forced myself to put it down so I wouldn't finish it - I did NOT want this one to end!

You can really feel the emotions of Serena, and her loneliness throughout the book (especially during the first quarter or so). It just hits a certain spot, and draws you into being her cheerleader on the sidelines. It's been a while (personally) since I really felt for a character, and Serena has broken that cycle.

The story is a lot darker than just Natasha being married and Serena dodging questions about her own family and marriage. There's a lot more depth to the book than that, so don't be fooled by the description! Actually, if you can just skip the description and go in blind, that would be just fine.

At the root of this novel is family - whether that be by blood or chosen family - and I think that says a lot about who Serena is as a person (since she's always described as the type to drop everything for family). I love those values she has, and her growth as a character was wonderful to see. I'm glad Sonya Lalli didn't make her entirely dependent on a man, but instead made her to be dependent on the family she has, and who she lets in her life (whether that be exes, new bestie, kids even! You'll have to read it to find out).

Serena is a strong, "Creative Director, Badass Brown Girl, Advertising Ass-Kicker" and you'll fall in love with this story and the characters just as much as I have, I promise!