Despite being an impressive 300+ pages, it was really hard to get into this one. So much of the book is spent inside Mabel's head, and her constant internal monologuing and lengthy asides broke the flow of dialog so often that I had to go back multiple times just to figure out what had been said to understand how/why a character was replying. It made it almost impossible to have a mental theater for most of the book.

But I'll put up with a lot in the name of some good steam, and this book did deliver it -- just not enough to outweigh the struggles of the beginning for me.

Ultimately, I wish Mabel had been allowed to shine more outside of her head, and I adored Alfie for a variety of reasons, but their chemistry was hard to follow due to narrative stylistic choices. I'll absolutely try reading this author again though to see if this was just dedication to character, or her general style.