So, let me start with the things I would have changed:
1) There were a few more sex scenes than necessary. I'm all for some steam when it exists for a reason (furthering character development, deepening relationships, etc.), but there were at least 4, possibly 5, very detailed scenes with no narrative purpose other than "eh, it's steamy."
2) There were a number of scenes that read like public service announcements. There's certainly room for LGBTQ+ education on a variety of topics in a variety of books, but the way it was written here felt as if it was coming directly from the author, rather than the characters. We get scenes on the dangers of alcohol abuse and a number of other issues that are handled the same way.
3) Tropes. We have the emotionally-repressed, type-A brunette who lives in the closet. We have the shorter, warmer, free-spirited blonde who smiles sunbeams while teaching the brunette how to love. We have the homophobic family issues, we have the supportive family solutions. Fortunately, most of these tropes are short-term issues; the characters are all so thoroughly explored, their relationships so carefully examined, that you stop worrying about the familiarity of surface details.
Despite the above criticism, what this book does right, it does so right that it still ends up with a 5-star rating and a spot on my favorites shelf.
What it does very, very right:
1) The "girl-gets-girl" event happens at the 20% completion mark, rather than the 95% completion mark. This is so mind-bogglingly important and sadly uncommon that I almost feel like typing it twice. The vast majority of the novel (like 700 pages of it) happens after the couple has fallen in love. It's about their lives together, their journey over fifteen years of struggle and triumph, not their formulaic courtship on the road to a happily-ever-after.
2) Character development. As mentioned, this is a long, long book which, unlike some reviewers, I feel is a tremendous strength. Could it have used some editing? Sure, but a little repetition is a small price to pay for all the texture and detail we get as a result. At least one, frequently both, of the two main characters are in every single scene. Every. Single. Scene. They live, breathe and grow into one another. If these characters were based on real people, you'd be able to go out to lunch with those people upon finishing the book and hold lengthy conversations about their lives without ever having met them. You would know them better than you know your closest friends.
3) Despite some truly heart-breaking scenes, this is a lovely ode to hope and possibility. It's an optimistic view of what can frequently seem a dark and dangerous world. It doesn't gloss over the ugliness, preaching love as a cure-all; it wades through it, using love as both a source of support and an undeniable motivation.
I love these characters, I love this book, and I love this author. I not only hope she continues to write, but that she continues to explore the facets of romance that are so rarely examined: the life and love that occur after the epilogues are over.