What a fantastic debut! By the time I got to the end of the first chapter, I was already in love with this author’s voice. It’s the kind of deep point of view that really immerses you in the story, and it reads as naturally and enjoyably as a conversation with your best friend. Best of all, it was obvious from the first chapter that this story would do justice to the complex emotions involved in the love/hate relationship between Natalie and Jeremy.

Even so, I was surprised by the depth and breadth of this story, particularly where Jeremy’s niece Lili was concerned. She finds herself in a really difficult position that only becomes more difficult as the story progresses, and the way her character was written was absolutely spot on—her personality, her emotional tumult, and the way she responded and interacted throughout the story. Fabulous characterisation!

And that goes for Jeremy and Natalie, too. This is as much a story of their personal growth as it is their gradual reconciliation—more points in favour of this author! Character growth is so satisfying! And even when Natalie was doing her darnedest to hold on to her anger, she and Jeremy had a chemistry I couldn’t help but enjoy. And I don’t mean romantic chemistry so much as the chemistry between two people who bounce off each other in conversation and in life. Which made those romantic moments that much more enjoyable when they came.

So, what else do you need to know about this story? First of all, it’s a novel about imperfect people. And imperfect Christians. And in the case of one secondary character in particular, an imperfect Christian who’s making a right royal mess of other people’s lives (and his/her own) as a result of some selfish choices. This story doesn’t moralise over those choices; it simply allows the consequences speak for themselves. And they spoke loud and clear as far as this secondary character was concerned. Even so, some readers may feel that the story didn’t deal with said secondary character as thoroughly as it could have. Personally, I think that’s simply because that wasn’t the point of this story. This story was about the effect those choices had on the main characters in this story.

Secondly, this is a family drama as much as it’s a contemporary romance. At times the subject matter is a little heavy, and just like in real life, things aren’t picture-perfect by the end of the story, but there was a lightness to the author’s writing style that counterbalanced this without undermining its impact, and through it all was the message that God is faithful, even when those around us (or perhaps we, ourselves) let us down.

Bottom line? I’m super keen to get my hands on the next book from this author!