It was an enjoyable read, but nothing else. It was nice but it felt like something was missing between the characters, like their romance was lacking something, some development, some push, some chemistry... I don't know. Something. And while I liked January and appreciated her, I couldn't care less about Gus. Gus has the charisma of a door handle. The thing about their romance is that it was pretty boring. I was more invested in the family drama than anything else. In fact, if you cut out Gus and leave January dealing with the loss of her father alone in that lake it would make no difference to me. And I understand the importance of Gus being the one to show January that happiness and love was still possible after the devastating truth about her father, but well, did he had to be like that? Every single character in the story are more interesting than him.

Anyway, the kudos goes to everything else...

January and her friend, her mother, the belief in the power of looking at the world through brighter lenses, the overcoming of broken hearts and broken spirits. To this book having no unnecessary drama (it tried a bit, but just for a few pages), to cool lesbians Pete and Maggie and their labradors, to me constantly picturing they were out by the ocean when instead the book takes place in Michigan, to January's father and his letters. The letters were very beautiful.