This cover and the blurb honestly did not prepare me for the tone of this book in any way. This was a good read, but a heavy one, definitely not the light quirky rom-com I was thinking it would be. Was there romance and some comedy weaved in there?...Sure, but this was a brutally honest, raw, emotionally packed story of a woman struggling to deal with trauma. There should undoubtedly be some trigger warnings attached to this one, it deals heavily in rape/sexual assault.

There was times when this book was hard to read, emotionally. I cringed at some parts, mainly in how painfully merciless April could be with herself in such stark contrast to how understanding and kind she could be with others in distress and pain. Which is relatable at its core, quite frequently we are our own toughest critics, but also it chillingly articulated that extra level of self blame so many that have been through trauma experience.

Even when painful, watching April go through some really dark times and emotions, it was also hopeful and heartwarming in the times that she was facing things head on, finding her voice/power and safe places and people. The boxing class in particular really just struck a powerful emotional cord for me. It could also be funny at times, how (albeit kinda cruelly sometimes) April was in her critical analysis of men, but still notes of humor in the truthfulness in there. I think the deepness of her hurt overshadows a lot of humor within for the reader though.

To be honest I cared much less about April's relationship with Joshua than her relationship with herself. I liked that, that part was always at the forefront of this book. And while it maybe wasn't the nicest or the fairest to use Joshua as a tool in this process, at least initially, it was very fitting in where April was at that point in her journey and I could understand it very clearly. I thought it ended in a fairly good tone too. Not too HEA (which wouldn't have fit with the rest of the story) but with April personally doing better and mostly content on the path she was on. Still a work in progress, but progress being made, much like the rest of us.

I could see this one being a great book club book. Sparking a lot of good conversation about important things that aren't frequently talked about. Also, would be great to have a buddy (much like the buddy system in the charity April worked at!) to emotionally lean on while reading.

I received an ARC of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing and this is my honest review.