I’m going to be honest, I despised this book. We have Rebecca who stays in her hometown to take care of her family and Miguel who goes off to pursue his dreams so they break up after about a year of him being gone. They are forced to see each other three years later for their best friends wedding and reconnect.
So I read some other reviews of this book and I’m surprised that so many people were blaming Rebecca for not hearing Miguel out. I’m sorry, but if I flew to see my boyfriend, emotional, vulnerable, and pregnant, to have some woman in his jersey and NOTHING ELSE open the door, and him shirtless, and her being a witch about it, I’d dip too. He wasn’t answering her calls (who can’t answer a phone call when they’re studying????) and considering he had time to party, crazy to me why he’d think she wouldn’t react and that he should just let her go as if SHE hadn’t always been there for HIM. He repeatedly blames her for walking away, but nowhere does he take accountability for what she walked in on.
Literally, there is ZERO understanding and remorse except some off handed comment way at the END about how he should’ve walked the woman back to her room. Then he even admits he wouldn’t have trusted him either if he were in her shoes. Like……grovel should’ve started at the beginning of the 400+ pages even if nothing happened. For walking away from her, letting her think he cheated, not being there for her, for putting her in the position of having to witness another woman half naked in his dorm in the shirt SHE usually wore. Explanation or not, it was on HIM to make sure she listened if she meant that much to him. Instead, HE let her walk. And I’m not talking a phone call, or a text message, I’m talking going after your childhood best friend and supposed “love of your life”. Instead he claims he didn’t have time, but he DID have time to party and drink though. OH OK.
That girl had so so so much on her shoulders and honestly? Even though it’s great Miguel chased his dreams, he comes off incredibly selfish and self centered for a lot of this book, throwing himself pity parties. He ruined it for me especially because he didn’t redeem himself. I tried to remind myself he was only 22, but truthfully, my 8 year old has more maturity.
How are we not getting an apology from him until 70%? Like…I’ll repeat, “working” on a project half naked!?!?! They make libraries and study rooms on campuses. There is truly just no excuses for him and he treats her like legit crap this WHOLE book. No grovel, just him whining. Then he leaves her again, knowing what she’s going through with her family, for WEEKS. And HE isn’t even the one who goes after her! SHE goes after him! Granted sure he does have some weird inner monologue saying he’s going to go after her ironically at the game she attends but I actually hated the fact it was her.
He had absolutely no sympathy or compassion for her when he finds out about the miscarriage. Oh no, he actually leaves her standing there crying. Goes days without talking to her after that. When he does apologize, she’s apologizing too and I’m SO confused as to why. He was probably my least favorite hero I’ve read in a LONG time. I could go on and on about my complaints because trust me there was more but I’ll just leave it here.
The ONLY good things about this book were the fact that he stayed celibate and Rebecca actually did sleep with someone else, it’s always the opposite so I appreciated the difference. Finally, I DID appreciate Rebecca’s character apart from her interactions with Miguel. She was so selfless and it was great to see how successful she became on her own and how she (unlike some people) put those she loved first. I gave it two for these two reasons only. Overall though Miguel can go suck a duck.