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No Matter What
Sometimes love sends you back to the drawing board.
After a traumatic accident threatens the foundations of their happy marriage, a couple tries to rebuild and find their way back to each other—and themselves—in this tender, slow-burn romance.
Roz and Vin can’t look each other in the eyes anymore, let alone share a bed. It’s been a year since they survived a life-altering accident, and their marriage hasn’t been the same. But Roz has held out hope that they can fix things, until she discovers Vin has signed a new lease. So she does what any soon-to-be-divorced Manhattanite would do: sign up for a figure-drawing class.
Between Roz’s determined attempts to improve her artistic skills and her adventures with her best friend, Raffi, she can almost ignore Vin’s impending move-out date and his footsteps in their previously unoccupied guest room. But it would all be a lot easier if Vin wasn’t Raffi’s older brother, and if she didn’t still find him incredibly, debilitatingly attractive and kind.
So kind, in fact, that Vin offers to let Roz draw him. What is she supposed to say? It’s probably better than her original plan of finding some random male model online, and she needs all the practice she can get. Plus, that’s sure to make a separation easier, right? Focus on every detail of your estranged spouse’s body while drawing him in the nude? But after the year they’ve spent avoiding each other, it feels good to see and be seen by one another again.
As Roz works to capture the wholeness of the person she fell in love with, will they both be able to draw upon the feelings they buried deep inside to finally heal together?
After a traumatic accident threatens the foundations of their happy marriage, a couple tries to rebuild and find their way back to each other—and themselves—in this tender, slow-burn romance.
Roz and Vin can’t look each other in the eyes anymore, let alone share a bed. It’s been a year since they survived a life-altering accident, and their marriage hasn’t been the same. But Roz has held out hope that they can fix things, until she discovers Vin has signed a new lease. So she does what any soon-to-be-divorced Manhattanite would do: sign up for a figure-drawing class.
Between Roz’s determined attempts to improve her artistic skills and her adventures with her best friend, Raffi, she can almost ignore Vin’s impending move-out date and his footsteps in their previously unoccupied guest room. But it would all be a lot easier if Vin wasn’t Raffi’s older brother, and if she didn’t still find him incredibly, debilitatingly attractive and kind.
So kind, in fact, that Vin offers to let Roz draw him. What is she supposed to say? It’s probably better than her original plan of finding some random male model online, and she needs all the practice she can get. Plus, that’s sure to make a separation easier, right? Focus on every detail of your estranged spouse’s body while drawing him in the nude? But after the year they’ve spent avoiding each other, it feels good to see and be seen by one another again.
As Roz works to capture the wholeness of the person she fell in love with, will they both be able to draw upon the feelings they buried deep inside to finally heal together?
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2026
1974 people are currently reading
75007 people want to read
About the author
Cara Bastone
14 books6,106 followersCara Bastone is the author of Ready or Not. She lives and writes in Brooklyn with her husband, sons, and an almost-goldendoodle. Her goal with her work is to find the swoon in ordinary love stories. She's been a fan of the romance genre since she found a grocery bag filled with her grandmother's old Harlequin Romances when she was in high school. She's a fangirl for pretzel sticks, long walks through Prospect Park, and love stories featuring men who aren't hobbled by their own masculinity.
source: Amazon
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,312 reviews
April 16, 2026
Hey! So I loved this!!! So much!!
Roz & Vin’s marriage is falling apart & they need to rebuild it after an accident they were involved in a year ago. I absolutely loved this story, it felt so real and vulnerable and our FMC was so very personable!
I love second chance, but make it a long term relationship & seeing how they find themselves again in order to grow and communicate better together ❤️🩹
Roz & Vin’s marriage is falling apart & they need to rebuild it after an accident they were involved in a year ago. I absolutely loved this story, it felt so real and vulnerable and our FMC was so very personable!
I love second chance, but make it a long term relationship & seeing how they find themselves again in order to grow and communicate better together ❤️🩹
April 7, 2026
the mmc & fmc both using art as a form of healing was everything. the miscommunication drove me INSANE which is why this is a 3 star ⭐️
if they just TALKED, this book would be 10 pages.
I loved the side characters! lauro & em!!!! >>>> and RAFFI!!!
if they just TALKED, this book would be 10 pages.
I loved the side characters! lauro & em!!!! >>>> and RAFFI!!!
March 18, 2026
this was incredibly infuriating😀 one conversation could have sorted EVERYTHING!! if you hate miscommunication, maybe steer clear from this one
February 22, 2026
At this point I need Cara to write my life!!!😭
rtc
____________
┆ ⤿ 🗽 ༝ pre-read:
2 ways to convince me to read a book: 1. it being marriage in crisis / second chance 2. the book being set in nyc😋😋
I love anything Cara writes, so her writing my favorite trope makes me believe I’m not going to survive this read 😭
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I GOT THE ARC OMG🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻 can’t wait to read this, I just know it will be my new obsession
__________
IT HAS A COVER NOW!! I’m so confused as to why cara hasn’t posted anything about this book yet😭😭
_________
OH MY GOD WHAT IS THIS??????👀 after reading promise me sunshine I’ll read anything written by Cara.
AND MARRIAGE IN CRISIS? sign me tf up
rtc
____________
┆ ⤿ 🗽 ༝ pre-read:
2 ways to convince me to read a book: 1. it being marriage in crisis / second chance 2. the book being set in nyc😋😋
I love anything Cara writes, so her writing my favorite trope makes me believe I’m not going to survive this read 😭
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
I GOT THE ARC OMG🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻 can’t wait to read this, I just know it will be my new obsession
__________
IT HAS A COVER NOW!! I’m so confused as to why cara hasn’t posted anything about this book yet😭😭
_________
OH MY GOD WHAT IS THIS??????👀 after reading promise me sunshine I’ll read anything written by Cara.
AND MARRIAGE IN CRISIS? sign me tf up
April 19, 2026
I struggled to decide if this was a 2 star or a 4 star… and we’ve landed here.
This book felt so genuine. Those little day to day nuances of being married and coexisting with a partner was captured so well! I also loved the structure of this story and how it didn’t feel like a typical romance, since our characters already know each other on such a deep level.
I do appreciate the tie in with various forms of art and expression, and how that can help you come to terms with your feelings and heal from things like PTSD & trauma.
What frustrated me was the main source of this conflict was miscommunication… and not your average miscommunication. But one that came down to the tiniest little semantics. Which (I’ll have to give this to Cara Bastone) felt actually quite believable in this situation, but just SO FRUSTRATING to read about. I caught on to what was happening with this plot line early on and for many pages just wanted to grab Roz and Vin, sit them down, and just let both of them actually speak to each other.
However, it did tie all together quite well in the end. And I kind of feel the need to applaud Cara for kind of making the miscommunication trope interesting? She really leaned into it and embraced it instead of using it as a basic excuse for conflict.
Anyways, I feel like you’ll either love or hate this one. I suppose I ended up loving it 😂
This book felt so genuine. Those little day to day nuances of being married and coexisting with a partner was captured so well! I also loved the structure of this story and how it didn’t feel like a typical romance, since our characters already know each other on such a deep level.
I do appreciate the tie in with various forms of art and expression, and how that can help you come to terms with your feelings and heal from things like PTSD & trauma.
What frustrated me was the main source of this conflict was miscommunication… and not your average miscommunication. But one that came down to the tiniest little semantics. Which (I’ll have to give this to Cara Bastone) felt actually quite believable in this situation, but just SO FRUSTRATING to read about. I caught on to what was happening with this plot line early on and for many pages just wanted to grab Roz and Vin, sit them down, and just let both of them actually speak to each other.
However, it did tie all together quite well in the end. And I kind of feel the need to applaud Cara for kind of making the miscommunication trope interesting? She really leaned into it and embraced it instead of using it as a basic excuse for conflict.
Anyways, I feel like you’ll either love or hate this one. I suppose I ended up loving it 😂
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I am so unwell.
___
I have to finish this book before the year ends.... no matter what.
Buddy reading with Hoda
___
I have to finish this book before the year ends.... no matter what.
Buddy reading with Hoda
anticipated-books
November 19, 2025If this book doesn't fix me, then nothing will 😔
March 17, 2026
╰┈➤ 5 stars!
oh my goodness, cara bastone! i don’t know what to say other than i’m hella sure that this book finished me, instead of me finishing it. i cried (i even recorded myself and sent it to my bf to show him how much this book already means to me), laughed, slept late (zil kept on telling me to sleep), and loved this book so much.
i don’t really get to read books where the main trope is marriage in crisis because second chance romance tends to happen after it’s been years since they broke up. in here, everything in their marriage seems to just be falling apart, so you’re basically walking through shattered glass with the mcs.
୨ৎ roz. she feels like the kind of person who holds everything together. the way she shows her love by cooking for the people she cares about speaks volumes. it’s not loud or showy, but it’s real. she’s dependable in that comforting way that makes you feel safe just being around her. you can tell she carries so much, but that’s what makes her strength so beautiful.
୨ৎ vin. he is someone who tries so hard to bridge the gap between what he feels and what he can say. after the accident, everything between them changed, yet he still kept trying. that effort alone made me adore him even more. he’s the perfect example of “if he wanted to, he would”—because he does. he’s not perfect, but he’s sincere, and that’s what makes him stand out.
this story broke me and healed me all at once. i kept wishing it were written in dual pov because i wanted to know what was going through vin’s head so badly, but even without it, their emotions felt so raw and real. it’s such a beautiful portrayal of what it means to hold on when things get hard—when love isn’t effortless anymore, but still worth fighting for.
it also reminded me of how important it is to check in with the people you love. sometimes we think we know what’s going on, but we don’t. those small acts of care—asking, listening, showing up—can make such a difference. that’s what I love about marriage-in-crisis stories: they strip away the fairytale layer and show what love looks like in the real world, when it’s tested.
this book also beautifully emphasized how relationships thrive not because of grand gestures, but because of the mundane things—the daily presence, the quiet understanding, the small ways we remind each other that we’re still here. and communication especially after when they FINALLY got to talk about the heavy stuffs? absolutely everything. i’ve said this so many times, but miscommunication tropes really ruin me because of how real they are. BUT IN THIS BOOK? it’s painful to read because it mirrors what happens in life, where silence sometimes speaks louder than words.
what also struck me deeply was how it handled therapy and healing. the story showed that asking for help doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human. it’s a brave thing to admit you need someone to guide you through the mess. and through roz’s art, i realized that sometimes people draw or create not just for the sake of art itself, but as a way to understand, to process, or to reach for something they can’t quite express.
overall, this book left me in pieces in the best way possible. roz and vin’s vulnerability, their pain, and their slow journey toward healing were all so raw and honest. it showed that love isn’t just about passion or romance—it’s about patience, forgiveness, and the willingness to start again, even after everything has fallen apart.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dial Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.
・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・
pre-read:
my first br with my angel zil 💞🌷 we both love cara bastone’s books and i’m genuinely so excited to start reading this e-arc with her! i have a good feeling about this book and i hope we both enjoy it 🤞🏼🫧
・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・
pre-release:
I GOT THE ARC 🥹💖 this is like one of the best birthday gifts ever 💌 thank you to netgalley, random house, and the author for the arc!
oh my goodness, cara bastone! i don’t know what to say other than i’m hella sure that this book finished me, instead of me finishing it. i cried (i even recorded myself and sent it to my bf to show him how much this book already means to me), laughed, slept late (zil kept on telling me to sleep), and loved this book so much.
i don’t really get to read books where the main trope is marriage in crisis because second chance romance tends to happen after it’s been years since they broke up. in here, everything in their marriage seems to just be falling apart, so you’re basically walking through shattered glass with the mcs.
୨ৎ roz. she feels like the kind of person who holds everything together. the way she shows her love by cooking for the people she cares about speaks volumes. it’s not loud or showy, but it’s real. she’s dependable in that comforting way that makes you feel safe just being around her. you can tell she carries so much, but that’s what makes her strength so beautiful.
୨ৎ vin. he is someone who tries so hard to bridge the gap between what he feels and what he can say. after the accident, everything between them changed, yet he still kept trying. that effort alone made me adore him even more. he’s the perfect example of “if he wanted to, he would”—because he does. he’s not perfect, but he’s sincere, and that’s what makes him stand out.
this story broke me and healed me all at once. i kept wishing it were written in dual pov because i wanted to know what was going through vin’s head so badly, but even without it, their emotions felt so raw and real. it’s such a beautiful portrayal of what it means to hold on when things get hard—when love isn’t effortless anymore, but still worth fighting for.
it also reminded me of how important it is to check in with the people you love. sometimes we think we know what’s going on, but we don’t. those small acts of care—asking, listening, showing up—can make such a difference. that’s what I love about marriage-in-crisis stories: they strip away the fairytale layer and show what love looks like in the real world, when it’s tested.
this book also beautifully emphasized how relationships thrive not because of grand gestures, but because of the mundane things—the daily presence, the quiet understanding, the small ways we remind each other that we’re still here. and communication especially after when they FINALLY got to talk about the heavy stuffs? absolutely everything. i’ve said this so many times, but miscommunication tropes really ruin me because of how real they are. BUT IN THIS BOOK? it’s painful to read because it mirrors what happens in life, where silence sometimes speaks louder than words.
what also struck me deeply was how it handled therapy and healing. the story showed that asking for help doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human. it’s a brave thing to admit you need someone to guide you through the mess. and through roz’s art, i realized that sometimes people draw or create not just for the sake of art itself, but as a way to understand, to process, or to reach for something they can’t quite express.
overall, this book left me in pieces in the best way possible. roz and vin’s vulnerability, their pain, and their slow journey toward healing were all so raw and honest. it showed that love isn’t just about passion or romance—it’s about patience, forgiveness, and the willingness to start again, even after everything has fallen apart.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dial Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.
・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・
pre-read:
my first br with my angel zil 💞🌷 we both love cara bastone’s books and i’m genuinely so excited to start reading this e-arc with her! i have a good feeling about this book and i hope we both enjoy it 🤞🏼🫧
・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・
pre-release:
I GOT THE ARC 🥹💖 this is like one of the best birthday gifts ever 💌 thank you to netgalley, random house, and the author for the arc!
![Profile Image for Ashley (permanent [?] semi-hiatus).](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1776041277i%2F168400322._UX200_CR0%2C30%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
reading my first bastone, i was expecting to be ensconced in incisive, evocative prose, characters that i could fall for, as well as a maelstrom of emotions. and yet… i felt lethargic? i read this with a straight face. i did like the integration of art as a way to find a path back though.
don’t get me wrong—i don’t hate books on marital distress. you deserve each other is my favourite romance novel of all time. but i never got that visceral experience here. i was expecting to grieve and fall back in love again with roz and vince alongside them, and i just felt like a forlorn outsider the whole time going through the monotony of their daily life without actually finding the joy and meaning they recultivated.
we never got an unambiguous, lucid insight as to what the accident entailed even though the whole conflict is based on it (and miscommunication). we just got trauma reactions that to me, felt superficial and contrived rather than earned. i understand that she took a fragmented approach of storytelling to mirror grief’s erratic, bereft, and disjointed nature, but that just further disconnected me. i don’t need a long, convoluted chapter like some of those info dumps about vince!!! i just wanted to be able to empathize!! i just wanted the grief to be cemented into something tangible!! i wanted catharsis!!
maybe next time i’ll truly get the hype
-
not to sound like an ignorant bitch, but i kind of.. didn't care? rtc.
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need to read my accumulated arcs so i can request more lol
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so i requested this just for fun and got it?? i have way too many books on my cr but i'm gonna try to get to this asap lol. my first cara bastone!!
don’t get me wrong—i don’t hate books on marital distress. you deserve each other is my favourite romance novel of all time. but i never got that visceral experience here. i was expecting to grieve and fall back in love again with roz and vince alongside them, and i just felt like a forlorn outsider the whole time going through the monotony of their daily life without actually finding the joy and meaning they recultivated.
we never got an unambiguous, lucid insight as to what the accident entailed even though the whole conflict is based on it (and miscommunication). we just got trauma reactions that to me, felt superficial and contrived rather than earned. i understand that she took a fragmented approach of storytelling to mirror grief’s erratic, bereft, and disjointed nature, but that just further disconnected me. i don’t need a long, convoluted chapter like some of those info dumps about vince!!! i just wanted to be able to empathize!! i just wanted the grief to be cemented into something tangible!! i wanted catharsis!!
maybe next time i’ll truly get the hype
-
not to sound like an ignorant bitch, but i kind of.. didn't care? rtc.
-
need to read my accumulated arcs so i can request more lol
-
so i requested this just for fun and got it?? i have way too many books on my cr but i'm gonna try to get to this asap lol. my first cara bastone!!
March 20, 2026
the first half of this book was — and i emphasize — ROUGH for me. i was certain i’d end up dnf’ing and kept telling myself just to get to 50%. i guess sometimes my stubbornness pays off (don’t tell my husband that), because i thoroughly enjoyed the second half of this book.
i can’t ignore that the first half was a slog through the trenches full of miscommunication and decisions i disagreed with. BUT… the second half made me feel things, see things, and believe things. i almost, *almost* shed tears a few times.
i believe the toughest part of writing a second-chance marriage romance story is that you REALLY need to convince your audience that the couple isn’t better off divorced or split. for the first half, i truly was not convinced. i’m very happy the second half changed my mind.
i wish i could rate this higher. if the entire book had convinced me that these two characters were GOOD together but just having rough times, i would’ve.
miscommunication is my least favorite trope and i wanted to grab these characters by the shoulders and shake them sometimes. i wanted to treat them like an obedient dog and just yell “SPEAK!” at them. just use your words. TALK! PLEASE!
i, overall, had a very tough time when the characters couldn’t even form sentences around each other but i did love how this book approached art, healing, imperfection, and growth. watching the fmc and mmc find each other again near the end of the book was really beautiful even if the road to get there was frustrating.
i can’t ignore that the first half was a slog through the trenches full of miscommunication and decisions i disagreed with. BUT… the second half made me feel things, see things, and believe things. i almost, *almost* shed tears a few times.
i believe the toughest part of writing a second-chance marriage romance story is that you REALLY need to convince your audience that the couple isn’t better off divorced or split. for the first half, i truly was not convinced. i’m very happy the second half changed my mind.
i wish i could rate this higher. if the entire book had convinced me that these two characters were GOOD together but just having rough times, i would’ve.
miscommunication is my least favorite trope and i wanted to grab these characters by the shoulders and shake them sometimes. i wanted to treat them like an obedient dog and just yell “SPEAK!” at them. just use your words. TALK! PLEASE!
i, overall, had a very tough time when the characters couldn’t even form sentences around each other but i did love how this book approached art, healing, imperfection, and growth. watching the fmc and mmc find each other again near the end of the book was really beautiful even if the road to get there was frustrating.
March 12, 2026
god I loooooooove marriage in trouble. listened on audiobook and it was perfect. extra bonus points for Roz and Vin because they’re Mets fans, not Yankees fans 🙂↔️ an iconic couple who would find each other in every lifetime
November 26, 2025
Cara Bastone is out here writing the new classics. These are sacred texts.
March 25, 2026
Minor spoilers below.
In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if the author would be able to pull this off, I’ll be honest. Marriage in crisis is a very difficult subject to tackle, imo. And after finishing this book, I know it won’t be for everyone, but it was for me.
Because this wasn’t just an accumulation of random tropes, it was an actual story. Not a cosy, light-hearted one about two people falling in love, mind you. It’s about two people in an established relationship who have been through a traumatic accident and are now struggling to deal with what they experienced and how it changed them and thus their relationship.
It’s heavy and frustrating to read at first. The story explored their relationship in the present and gave some insight on how it started and developed. And especially in the beginning it’s not easy to witness what Roz and Vin are going through, how hard it is on them, and how difficult it now is for them to communicate.
In hindsight, though, I think suffering through all of that was necessary and worth it to really feel how they fight to get back to each other and make it work again. Each in their own way.
Miscommunication was the main theme here. I think it’s important to be clear about that, as I can image that some might not be into that and might want to skip this one because of it.
I also think that quite a few people will read this book and be like “Just talk to each other, it’s not that hard”.
But that’s the thing, right? Sometimes it is that hard, even though it might look like an easy problem to solve from the outside. The author showed this by examining the topic more thoroughly instead of simply using it as a cheap excuse for a third act break up. And I think that was very well done. It was messy and raw, for sure, but it also felt so real to me.
I loved the way Roz’ art helped them connect again and made her see everything in a new light. A big part of them finding their way back to each other is through her art classes and everything she learned about herself because of it, and that fit so beautifully into this story. It kind of made me want to go and take a figure drawing class myself.
Something else that stood out to me was that the conflict was mainly solved around the 60% mark, and after that the book continued to tell their story. We got to see them be happy again, work through minor issues, and enjoy life together.
This was just so good. Like a mindless fun read is perfectly fine and sometimes just what you need. But Cara Bastone’s stories go a little deeper, they’re a bit more real, and I really love that.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
___
Christmas came early and I loved it 🥹
In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if the author would be able to pull this off, I’ll be honest. Marriage in crisis is a very difficult subject to tackle, imo. And after finishing this book, I know it won’t be for everyone, but it was for me.
Because this wasn’t just an accumulation of random tropes, it was an actual story. Not a cosy, light-hearted one about two people falling in love, mind you. It’s about two people in an established relationship who have been through a traumatic accident and are now struggling to deal with what they experienced and how it changed them and thus their relationship.
It’s heavy and frustrating to read at first. The story explored their relationship in the present and gave some insight on how it started and developed. And especially in the beginning it’s not easy to witness what Roz and Vin are going through, how hard it is on them, and how difficult it now is for them to communicate.
In hindsight, though, I think suffering through all of that was necessary and worth it to really feel how they fight to get back to each other and make it work again. Each in their own way.
Miscommunication was the main theme here. I think it’s important to be clear about that, as I can image that some might not be into that and might want to skip this one because of it.
I also think that quite a few people will read this book and be like “Just talk to each other, it’s not that hard”.
But that’s the thing, right? Sometimes it is that hard, even though it might look like an easy problem to solve from the outside. The author showed this by examining the topic more thoroughly instead of simply using it as a cheap excuse for a third act break up. And I think that was very well done. It was messy and raw, for sure, but it also felt so real to me.
I loved the way Roz’ art helped them connect again and made her see everything in a new light. A big part of them finding their way back to each other is through her art classes and everything she learned about herself because of it, and that fit so beautifully into this story. It kind of made me want to go and take a figure drawing class myself.
Something else that stood out to me was that the conflict was mainly solved around the 60% mark, and after that the book continued to tell their story. We got to see them be happy again, work through minor issues, and enjoy life together.
This was just so good. Like a mindless fun read is perfectly fine and sometimes just what you need. But Cara Bastone’s stories go a little deeper, they’re a bit more real, and I really love that.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
___
Christmas came early and I loved it 🥹
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
─── ୨ৎ 2.25 stars
⤿ .ᐟ spoiler-free review
⤿ ⋮ ⟢ started: february 17, finished: march 1
⤷ thoughtsˎˊ˗
I am truly upset to be rating my first Bastone book like this. I really wanted to love this one and was so ready to feel every ounce of this book in my bones because I have been aching for a marriage in trouble book that would change my life for awhile now.
my first red flag was that these chapters were ridiculously long at times... I'm talking 40 minutes long. however, I decided I wouldn't let this affect my rating because some of my all-time favourite books have incredibly long chapters too. what does affect my rating though is the fact that these long chapters were often filled with events that felt like they served zero significance to the story progression. I found myself continuously reading about the backstories of various characters where the information just felt like a repeat of a few chapters prior.
I was also very confused, especially in the beginning of the book. this may very well be a me-problem but there were a lot of characters introduced and then eventually those characters' children, or family members and it was just too much for me to follow along with. I got bored.
not to mention, their relationship didn’t feel believable to me. they were married for eight years, yet they can barely form sentences around each other—let alone read one another’s emotions. their strained dynamic didn’t feel like the aftermath of the accident so much as it felt like those issues had always been there and were exacerbated by it. don't get me wrong, the way these two would talk about each other was really beautiful at times but it is clear that their styles and needs do not and have never really meshed well.
despite my complaints, I definitely would pick up another book by this author because I enjoyed her writing style in many ways. in my opinion, these characters and this story just needed more development in order for me to really fall in love with them the way I hoped to.
.ᐟ thank you to netgalley and random house publishing group for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
⤿ publishing date: march 3rd, 2026
⤿ .ᐟ spoiler-free review
⤿ ⋮ ⟢ started: february 17, finished: march 1
⤷ thoughtsˎˊ˗
I am truly upset to be rating my first Bastone book like this. I really wanted to love this one and was so ready to feel every ounce of this book in my bones because I have been aching for a marriage in trouble book that would change my life for awhile now.
my first red flag was that these chapters were ridiculously long at times... I'm talking 40 minutes long. however, I decided I wouldn't let this affect my rating because some of my all-time favourite books have incredibly long chapters too. what does affect my rating though is the fact that these long chapters were often filled with events that felt like they served zero significance to the story progression. I found myself continuously reading about the backstories of various characters where the information just felt like a repeat of a few chapters prior.
I was also very confused, especially in the beginning of the book. this may very well be a me-problem but there were a lot of characters introduced and then eventually those characters' children, or family members and it was just too much for me to follow along with. I got bored.
not to mention, their relationship didn’t feel believable to me. they were married for eight years, yet they can barely form sentences around each other—let alone read one another’s emotions. their strained dynamic didn’t feel like the aftermath of the accident so much as it felt like those issues had always been there and were exacerbated by it. don't get me wrong, the way these two would talk about each other was really beautiful at times but it is clear that their styles and needs do not and have never really meshed well.
despite my complaints, I definitely would pick up another book by this author because I enjoyed her writing style in many ways. in my opinion, these characters and this story just needed more development in order for me to really fall in love with them the way I hoped to.
.ᐟ thank you to netgalley and random house publishing group for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
⤿ publishing date: march 3rd, 2026
on-pause
March 10, 2026Putting it on pause for now so not as harsh as a DNF but I just don’t gaf about either one of these characters. Sorry.
March 13, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
This one sadly just didn’t hold my attention for some reason. I LOVED portions of this. Raw, vulnerable, human, beautiful. But I also didn’t love portions… mainly the massive amounts of miscommunication. 🥲
Worth the read overall (it’s Cara Bastone… duh!), but not my favorite by her.
This one sadly just didn’t hold my attention for some reason. I LOVED portions of this. Raw, vulnerable, human, beautiful. But I also didn’t love portions… mainly the massive amounts of miscommunication. 🥲
Worth the read overall (it’s Cara Bastone… duh!), but not my favorite by her.
March 26, 2026
i love when an audiobook fixes all
from dnf to 5 stars
from dnf to 5 stars
September 23, 2025
3.5 ⭐
Roz and Vin have been married for eight years, but a car accident they went through a year ago changed them forever—they don’t even sleep in the same room anymore. Roz was hoping their marriage could still be saved, but then she notices a new lease with Vin’s name on it in the kitchen. She’s completely shattered and accidentally ends up in a figure drawing class, where she finds friends and realizes that drawing has become a necessary form of therapy for her.
I adored Ready or Not and Promise Me Sunshine, so I was eagerly awaiting the author’s new book. And I did enjoy it—the crisis the couple is going through, their feelings and struggles are portrayed very authentically. The second half of the book is wonderful, but I had some issues with the first part. It was hard for me to read, to keep track of all the characters, and to understand what those chapters from Vin’s POV were about. It all felt a bit messy. My impression was that the first half was like a dense forest you have to push through to find what you’re really looking for. So if you find yourself in the same situation, don’t stop—keep reading!
I squealed inside when I realized which Ethan Vin met. Yes, it’s that Ethan from Ready or Not and Miles’s friend from Promise Me Sunshine. I truly hope Cara will write a book about him!
This is a good story in Cara’s style that left me with warm feelings, and I think it will especially resonate with readers who have been married for a long time.
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
✓marriage in crisis
✓mental health rep
✓slow burn
____________
Pre-read: I’m so happy I can already start reading Cara’s new book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House (Dial Press Trade Paperback) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Roz and Vin have been married for eight years, but a car accident they went through a year ago changed them forever—they don’t even sleep in the same room anymore. Roz was hoping their marriage could still be saved, but then she notices a new lease with Vin’s name on it in the kitchen. She’s completely shattered and accidentally ends up in a figure drawing class, where she finds friends and realizes that drawing has become a necessary form of therapy for her.
I adored Ready or Not and Promise Me Sunshine, so I was eagerly awaiting the author’s new book. And I did enjoy it—the crisis the couple is going through, their feelings and struggles are portrayed very authentically. The second half of the book is wonderful, but I had some issues with the first part. It was hard for me to read, to keep track of all the characters, and to understand what those chapters from Vin’s POV were about. It all felt a bit messy. My impression was that the first half was like a dense forest you have to push through to find what you’re really looking for. So if you find yourself in the same situation, don’t stop—keep reading!
I squealed inside when I realized which Ethan Vin met. Yes, it’s that Ethan from Ready or Not and Miles’s friend from Promise Me Sunshine. I truly hope Cara will write a book about him!
This is a good story in Cara’s style that left me with warm feelings, and I think it will especially resonate with readers who have been married for a long time.
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
✓marriage in crisis
✓mental health rep
✓slow burn
____________
Pre-read: I’m so happy I can already start reading Cara’s new book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House (Dial Press Trade Paperback) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Want to Read
March 15, 2026wait, this book was out yesterday tooo...I'm behind on all the new releases I have to read now. 😭
March 24, 2026
The book is about a marriage between two people who literally cannot talk to each other without naturally miscommunicating or going silent. Their marriage is not one of miscommunication per se but rather one of SILENCE. There is silence in every aspect—conversation, friendship, bedroom. They can’t look each other in the eyes, let alone share a bed. They are avoidant of their problems to the point where one blames it on PTSD (past trauma) and the other blames it on loosing the connection..but in actually their impending “divorce” was a result of a bunch of misconceptions. Bastone uses a form of art (drawing classes to be exact) as a means to bring two disconnected people back together and she does it so well by drawing a great connection between art and communication.
While the conversations feel natural between the characters and the evolving friendship between everyone felt genuine and warm, I struggled with how Bastone tried to capture the emotional moments between Roz and Vin and their tether to the traumatic accident. The only true message of the story is to live a full life, no matter what. By showing us how Roz was learning to rediscover her self via art wasn’t enough for me to feel the strength of that message.
Full RTF!
While the conversations feel natural between the characters and the evolving friendship between everyone felt genuine and warm, I struggled with how Bastone tried to capture the emotional moments between Roz and Vin and their tether to the traumatic accident. The only true message of the story is to live a full life, no matter what. By showing us how Roz was learning to rediscover her self via art wasn’t enough for me to feel the strength of that message.
Full RTF!
March 17, 2026
3.5 stars
Very conflicted about this one.
At first, I was loving it. I usually love second chance trope, and I find it even more interesting when the story is about a married couple getting divorced. So I enjoyed that aspect of the story.
I liked how the trauma after an accident was handled, how it affected the people involved. I liked the drawing classes and the people Roz met there, and how they helped her heal. Her narration is often chaotic, which I feel fit this story really well.
However,
I do think this is a very tender and heartwarming story. It's completely different from this author's Audible Original novellas and it's definitely not a fluffy romance. I would say that it is more like fiction with romance elements.
Very conflicted about this one.
At first, I was loving it. I usually love second chance trope, and I find it even more interesting when the story is about a married couple getting divorced. So I enjoyed that aspect of the story.
I liked how the trauma after an accident was handled, how it affected the people involved. I liked the drawing classes and the people Roz met there, and how they helped her heal. Her narration is often chaotic, which I feel fit this story really well.
However,
I do think this is a very tender and heartwarming story. It's completely different from this author's Audible Original novellas and it's definitely not a fluffy romance. I would say that it is more like fiction with romance elements.
Did Not Finish
April 30, 2026Dnf @ 50%
I knew I wasn’t going to like this… and yet I still gave it a chance 🤡
From chapter ONE I wasn’t feeling it. Like at all.
But I kept going, thinking maybe it would get better… maybe it just needed time…
It did not.
Which is actually insane because I’ve read this author before and LOVED them. Like easy 5 stars.
So what happened here?? Because this felt like a completely different person wrote it.
This was supposed to be a marriage-in-crisis situation… I think??
I genuinely couldn’t tell.
I also couldn’t tell if they were ever in love to begin with, so what exactly are we saving here??
And that whole drawing storyline…
I’m sorry but I could not care less 😭 it was putting me to sleep every single time.
Nothing grabbed me. Nothing made me feel anything.
I was just reading… and waiting… and getting more bored by the page.
At some point I had to remember I have free will.
And I chose to stop.
Should’ve done it sooner 🙂↕️📚
I knew I wasn’t going to like this… and yet I still gave it a chance 🤡
From chapter ONE I wasn’t feeling it. Like at all.
But I kept going, thinking maybe it would get better… maybe it just needed time…
It did not.
Which is actually insane because I’ve read this author before and LOVED them. Like easy 5 stars.
So what happened here?? Because this felt like a completely different person wrote it.
This was supposed to be a marriage-in-crisis situation… I think??
I genuinely couldn’t tell.
I also couldn’t tell if they were ever in love to begin with, so what exactly are we saving here??
And that whole drawing storyline…
I’m sorry but I could not care less 😭 it was putting me to sleep every single time.
Nothing grabbed me. Nothing made me feel anything.
I was just reading… and waiting… and getting more bored by the page.
At some point I had to remember I have free will.
And I chose to stop.
Should’ve done it sooner 🙂↕️📚
February 2, 2026
3.5 ⭐️ okay i’m a little conflicted, but i did enjoy this!
it takes place over the summer in new york city, which immediately had me… but it’s not a carefree summer rom com. it’s a heavy, reflective, sad girl summer story where everything feels a little too warm & a little too close 🫠
cara bastone’s writing was as charming & grounded as ever! and I loved the concept of a second chance within a marriage, especially after something traumatic happens. when this book leans into the healing and vulnerability, it really works! plus the figure drawing plot line offered something different that i really enjoyed!
but the miscommunication! … vin, please!!!! so much of the tension comes from him not clearly saying what he’s thinking or feeling AT ALL, and that dynamic really frustrated me. i understand that avoidance is part of his survival amid the trauma, but it felt like the main conflict existed because they just weren’t talking at all!
overall, it was still a really warm & emotional read. promise me sunshine is still my favorite from cara bastone, but i’d absolutely read whatever she writes next! thank you to netgalley & dial delights for the arc in exchange for an honest review 💌
it takes place over the summer in new york city, which immediately had me… but it’s not a carefree summer rom com. it’s a heavy, reflective, sad girl summer story where everything feels a little too warm & a little too close 🫠
cara bastone’s writing was as charming & grounded as ever! and I loved the concept of a second chance within a marriage, especially after something traumatic happens. when this book leans into the healing and vulnerability, it really works! plus the figure drawing plot line offered something different that i really enjoyed!
but the miscommunication! … vin, please!!!! so much of the tension comes from him not clearly saying what he’s thinking or feeling AT ALL, and that dynamic really frustrated me. i understand that avoidance is part of his survival amid the trauma, but it felt like the main conflict existed because they just weren’t talking at all!
overall, it was still a really warm & emotional read. promise me sunshine is still my favorite from cara bastone, but i’d absolutely read whatever she writes next! thank you to netgalley & dial delights for the arc in exchange for an honest review 💌
March 12, 2026
oh no… the miscommunication was so shockingly ridiculous, i thought it was a joke. the writing and humor were also very cringy imo so, i just don’t think this author is for me!!
December 16, 2025
[arc review] I so badly wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t for me—and I’m devastated to be saying that because I’m usually a huge fan of cara bastone and her work!
no matter what is a second chance romance that follows roz as her marriage with vin breaks down. the book is primarily in roz’s first pov.
I’m really sad I didn’t enjoy this the way I thought I would, and that’s not to say it isn’t a good story—I truly believe, like plenty of the other reviews, a lot of people will love it when it’s released.
my main bug bare was the miscommunication. I felt like every time there was an opportunity for the characters to have it out, they didn’t. I also felt the book was really hard to follow—the inner monologue of roz felt choppy, all over the place, and erratic.
I wish we got to see more of what pulled roz and vin together in the first place, because with second chance romances you have to establish what made them get together.
I remember being 25% in and not really understanding what was going on, but pushed through because I wanted to see what all the positive reviews were seeing.
ultimately this book wasn’t for me, but I know a lot of people who are big fans of cara bastone will love this—I just wish I was one of them!
thank you headline eternal for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
no matter what is a second chance romance that follows roz as her marriage with vin breaks down. the book is primarily in roz’s first pov.
I’m really sad I didn’t enjoy this the way I thought I would, and that’s not to say it isn’t a good story—I truly believe, like plenty of the other reviews, a lot of people will love it when it’s released.
my main bug bare was the miscommunication. I felt like every time there was an opportunity for the characters to have it out, they didn’t. I also felt the book was really hard to follow—the inner monologue of roz felt choppy, all over the place, and erratic.
I wish we got to see more of what pulled roz and vin together in the first place, because with second chance romances you have to establish what made them get together.
I remember being 25% in and not really understanding what was going on, but pushed through because I wanted to see what all the positive reviews were seeing.
ultimately this book wasn’t for me, but I know a lot of people who are big fans of cara bastone will love this—I just wish I was one of them!
thank you headline eternal for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
March 15, 2026
🎊Happy Release!🎊!
I’m torn here, because Cara’s writing is an absolute delight to read. Always. I even read the acknowledgments section. So I just can’t give this book less than four stars, because I enjoyed it. In a way.
However.
This was not my favorite book.
The first thing that didn’t work for me was the miscommunication. I just can’t understand how two people who share a native language, and have been happily married for years, can be that bad at communicating. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.
The second thing — but that’s probably on me, since you can tell from the blurb that it wouldn’t be a walk in the park — is that this book was heavy. I didn’t expect to be hit like that. Maybe I was hoping for more of a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel type of thing. And maybe that was even the general idea behind this story, but I was stuck in that tunnel for too long and haven’t recovered yet.
So yeah, proceed with caution…
Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
I’m torn here, because Cara’s writing is an absolute delight to read. Always. I even read the acknowledgments section. So I just can’t give this book less than four stars, because I enjoyed it. In a way.
However.
This was not my favorite book.
The first thing that didn’t work for me was the miscommunication. I just can’t understand how two people who share a native language, and have been happily married for years, can be that bad at communicating. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.
The second thing — but that’s probably on me, since you can tell from the blurb that it wouldn’t be a walk in the park — is that this book was heavy. I didn’t expect to be hit like that. Maybe I was hoping for more of a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel type of thing. And maybe that was even the general idea behind this story, but I was stuck in that tunnel for too long and haven’t recovered yet.
So yeah, proceed with caution…
Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
May 7, 2026
౨ৎꨄ︎ 3 stars
it pains me to say this, but i expected so much more. and i won’t lie that if this wasn’t a buddy read, i wouldn’t have enjoyed it at all.
i will start by saying that cara came up with such a great idea. her stories always pull you in, because whilst the tropes are set, her plots are often slightly different. her characters are far from perfect and they definitely don’t have it easy. we always meet them when they are trapped, sad, lost...
the story follows roz & vin, a married couple, that go through a tough period. and you don’t even have to know the blurb, because this is evident right from the very first page. so, immediately you are pulled into the story and what is done well is the fact that this book is very fast-paced. i was surprised how quickly we got to the end! yes, some chapters are quite long, but it’s still easy to fly through them.
however, even though the story itself is fast-paced and cara doesn’t waste the reader’s time and quickly jumpst to the point, it lacks excitement and some twists. because whilst i enjoyed some parts, i was shocked when i reached the end. the question "that’s it?" was simply too loud.
the characters aren’t the problem. i fell in love with roz immediately. she is such a fun, quirky yet very lost character and it’s fun to follow her journey. whilst she is trying to come with the terms that she might soon lose her husband, she discovers her new self. i enjoyed her at the drawing classes. how at first, she has no idea what she’s doing and how uncertain she is, but then starts getting comfortable in her new hobby. on top of that, she is such a sweet, caring person. you want her in your life!!!
vin seems like an asshole at first. you get the feeling he’s the villain and is just simply not trying enough (we actually thought there was going to be another love interest, lol). but no, he simply struggles and wants the pain go away and make everything ok again.
whilst i felt the chemistry between them, i found it a little absurd how they got into the situation in the first place. and i don’t mean the aftermath after the accident - i completely understand why they drew apart. i’m more talking about how they couldn’t be honest with eachother given the fact they’ve been married for eight years. miscommunication at it’s finest, let me tell you.
i’m in no way taking lightly the struggle and post-accident trauma. i think cara took this well and written a beautiful, heartbreaking story following such an awful event that shook with the main characters. but how the dynamic and the setting for the main plot (move out date and possible divorce) is done? not so well.
i’m also not the biggest fan of raffi. don’t get me wrong, i actually loved his character at the beginning and i enjoyed when he appeared. and i in no way blame him for whatever happened between vin and roz. but i also believe that he handles the situation bad and i can’t see him as the best friend and brother roz and vin deserve and need.
overall, i love cara’s writing and books and i will always, ALWAYS, pick her stories and read them. this just sadly missed the spark.
────୨ৎ────
౨ৎꨄ︎ pre-read: expectations are HIGHHH. also buddy reading with lovelyy oxana, hope it’s a five star read for us 🙂↕️🩷
it pains me to say this, but i expected so much more. and i won’t lie that if this wasn’t a buddy read, i wouldn’t have enjoyed it at all.
i will start by saying that cara came up with such a great idea. her stories always pull you in, because whilst the tropes are set, her plots are often slightly different. her characters are far from perfect and they definitely don’t have it easy. we always meet them when they are trapped, sad, lost...
the story follows roz & vin, a married couple, that go through a tough period. and you don’t even have to know the blurb, because this is evident right from the very first page. so, immediately you are pulled into the story and what is done well is the fact that this book is very fast-paced. i was surprised how quickly we got to the end! yes, some chapters are quite long, but it’s still easy to fly through them.
however, even though the story itself is fast-paced and cara doesn’t waste the reader’s time and quickly jumpst to the point, it lacks excitement and some twists. because whilst i enjoyed some parts, i was shocked when i reached the end. the question "that’s it?" was simply too loud.
the characters aren’t the problem. i fell in love with roz immediately. she is such a fun, quirky yet very lost character and it’s fun to follow her journey. whilst she is trying to come with the terms that she might soon lose her husband, she discovers her new self. i enjoyed her at the drawing classes. how at first, she has no idea what she’s doing and how uncertain she is, but then starts getting comfortable in her new hobby. on top of that, she is such a sweet, caring person. you want her in your life!!!
vin seems like an asshole at first. you get the feeling he’s the villain and is just simply not trying enough (we actually thought there was going to be another love interest, lol). but no, he simply struggles and wants the pain go away and make everything ok again.
whilst i felt the chemistry between them, i found it a little absurd how they got into the situation in the first place. and i don’t mean the aftermath after the accident - i completely understand why they drew apart. i’m more talking about how they couldn’t be honest with eachother given the fact they’ve been married for eight years. miscommunication at it’s finest, let me tell you.
i’m in no way taking lightly the struggle and post-accident trauma. i think cara took this well and written a beautiful, heartbreaking story following such an awful event that shook with the main characters. but how the dynamic and the setting for the main plot (move out date and possible divorce) is done? not so well.
i’m also not the biggest fan of raffi. don’t get me wrong, i actually loved his character at the beginning and i enjoyed when he appeared. and i in no way blame him for whatever happened between vin and roz. but i also believe that he handles the situation bad and i can’t see him as the best friend and brother roz and vin deserve and need.
overall, i love cara’s writing and books and i will always, ALWAYS, pick her stories and read them. this just sadly missed the spark.
────୨ৎ────
౨ৎꨄ︎ pre-read: expectations are HIGHHH. also buddy reading with lovelyy oxana, hope it’s a five star read for us 🙂↕️🩷
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
You can’t delete a chapter and get the same ending. And I no longer want to try. I want all of it. Every tangle. I’ll draw right off the edge of the page. Him and me, we’re shooting for infinity.
5 ⭐️
[Thank you Netgalley and Headline for the e-arc 🫶🏻]
Why does one recover from this book? How can I possibly convey everything this book gave me when there are no words? There are no words! Roz draws because there are no words. I will try my best to express my feelings, but it won't be enough. This isn't a book you read; it's a book you experience. It's a living, beating heart bleeding onto the page. It's raw; it's real; it's life.
This is the most realistic and honest portrayal of a marriage in crisis that I have ever read. And can draw so many parallels between Roz and Vin’s relationship issues and real life, and see things that I’m sure everyone will be able to relate to. After all, these two characters are a couple, but they’re also individuals with their own problems. They’re lost in life; they’re trying to make sense of a tragedy that befell them; they’re trying to find a way to move on, yet they can’t stop replaying the worst day of their lives in their minds. They’re shattered, shouting into the void and crying out for help, but they have no idea how to help themselves or each other. So many parts of their story broke my heart. It was painful. It felt like having my heart ripped from my chest. Not only was it hard to see their marriage going through a tough time, but it was also crushing to see them both feeling so helpless. But from chaos can come peace, and the way they picked up the pieces and worked alone and together to put them back together was extraordinary. Not because it was grandiose, but because it was authentic, genuine, and came from a place of wanting love to win; of wanting life to feel worth living. If there's one thing I've learned from this book, it's that no matter how dark things are, there's always a way to find light again. The only way to move forward is to accept that things happened and let life run its course.
It is heartbreaking to see two people who love each other so much become strangers, but it is incredibly beautiful to watch them find their way back to each other. I felt immense pride for Roz and Vin because they didn’t give up. They fought so hard for their marriage. Their honest, vulnerable conversations were difficult, but necessary. They paved the way for healthy communication, and it made them so much stronger. I strongly believe that this is one of those couples who will be together forever, because after everything they have been through, there is no way that anything will come between them. Nothing will break them now.
I feel like there’s so much I want to express, but it’s so difficult! Some of my favourite scenes were the art class scenes, and Cara's reflection on her own experience with art at the end made it all so much more emotional. When everything else fails, art will always be there. Art connects us and allows us to make sense of the world, our thoughts and our feelings. When the world feels dark, art reminds us that life can be beautiful and worth living.
The last few chapters of this book had me in tears, and a certain plot twist shocked me to my core! I’m still processing it. All I can say is: make sure you read Cara’s other books before this one, you won’t regret it! I hope I’ve done this book justice with my words, and that this review encourages others to give it a chance.
QUOTES:
I saw her and thought, here comes my wife.
I put my heart in her chest and she carries it around. And she’ll put flowers on my grave. And from the moment I realized that I wanted to marry her, I was already thinking about the end. Not the end of our relationship, but the end . . . of it all. Loving her made me think about death. In a good way. It was a gift. It was because I wasn’t scared to go. Not when I had her. So, that’s. Yeah. It’s not a story, really. It’s my thought. She’s my “the end is the beginning.”
“I said that I’m going to keep on living my life. A full life.” I pause, because I realize that I’m not talking about choosing a new life without Vin. What I’m really talking about here is hope in the face of doom. What I’m really talking about here, ultimately, is survival. And so I finish my own sentence with the one thing I most want him to say to me: “No matter what.”
“Do you remember—” I start. “Yes.” I laugh. “You don’t even know what I was going to say!” “Doesn’t matter,” he says gruffly. “I remember it.”
The rarest and most special gift is loving someone the way they want, or need, to be loved.
“We want to draw, because we want to understand.”
What if we never get over it? I’d asked Vin. And I think . . . I think the answer is in that drawing and in that photo. Maybe we never really get over anything. It just becomes . . . a part of your drawing, a part of your story. You adapt, you grow, you think about it less. You form new habits. You meet new people. But getting over it? Making it like it didn’t even happen? I don’t know. If you want it like it never happened . . . that’s just denial, right? We have to learn how to accept it. It happened. It’s real. We’re here on the other side. We’re smiling from the other side. Crying and wailing from the other side. Yes, cooking from the other side. Holding each other and feeling perfectly fine on an awful lot of days.
・・・・・
pre-review: wow 😭😭😭 there are no words 😭😭 the plot twist at the end gave me full body chills. I was sobbing 😭😭 I love you Cara Bastone! rtc
5 ⭐️
[Thank you Netgalley and Headline for the e-arc 🫶🏻]
Why does one recover from this book? How can I possibly convey everything this book gave me when there are no words? There are no words! Roz draws because there are no words. I will try my best to express my feelings, but it won't be enough. This isn't a book you read; it's a book you experience. It's a living, beating heart bleeding onto the page. It's raw; it's real; it's life.
This is the most realistic and honest portrayal of a marriage in crisis that I have ever read. And can draw so many parallels between Roz and Vin’s relationship issues and real life, and see things that I’m sure everyone will be able to relate to. After all, these two characters are a couple, but they’re also individuals with their own problems. They’re lost in life; they’re trying to make sense of a tragedy that befell them; they’re trying to find a way to move on, yet they can’t stop replaying the worst day of their lives in their minds. They’re shattered, shouting into the void and crying out for help, but they have no idea how to help themselves or each other. So many parts of their story broke my heart. It was painful. It felt like having my heart ripped from my chest. Not only was it hard to see their marriage going through a tough time, but it was also crushing to see them both feeling so helpless. But from chaos can come peace, and the way they picked up the pieces and worked alone and together to put them back together was extraordinary. Not because it was grandiose, but because it was authentic, genuine, and came from a place of wanting love to win; of wanting life to feel worth living. If there's one thing I've learned from this book, it's that no matter how dark things are, there's always a way to find light again. The only way to move forward is to accept that things happened and let life run its course.
It is heartbreaking to see two people who love each other so much become strangers, but it is incredibly beautiful to watch them find their way back to each other. I felt immense pride for Roz and Vin because they didn’t give up. They fought so hard for their marriage. Their honest, vulnerable conversations were difficult, but necessary. They paved the way for healthy communication, and it made them so much stronger. I strongly believe that this is one of those couples who will be together forever, because after everything they have been through, there is no way that anything will come between them. Nothing will break them now.
I feel like there’s so much I want to express, but it’s so difficult! Some of my favourite scenes were the art class scenes, and Cara's reflection on her own experience with art at the end made it all so much more emotional. When everything else fails, art will always be there. Art connects us and allows us to make sense of the world, our thoughts and our feelings. When the world feels dark, art reminds us that life can be beautiful and worth living.
The last few chapters of this book had me in tears, and a certain plot twist shocked me to my core! I’m still processing it. All I can say is: make sure you read Cara’s other books before this one, you won’t regret it! I hope I’ve done this book justice with my words, and that this review encourages others to give it a chance.
QUOTES:
I saw her and thought, here comes my wife.
I put my heart in her chest and she carries it around. And she’ll put flowers on my grave. And from the moment I realized that I wanted to marry her, I was already thinking about the end. Not the end of our relationship, but the end . . . of it all. Loving her made me think about death. In a good way. It was a gift. It was because I wasn’t scared to go. Not when I had her. So, that’s. Yeah. It’s not a story, really. It’s my thought. She’s my “the end is the beginning.”
“I said that I’m going to keep on living my life. A full life.” I pause, because I realize that I’m not talking about choosing a new life without Vin. What I’m really talking about here is hope in the face of doom. What I’m really talking about here, ultimately, is survival. And so I finish my own sentence with the one thing I most want him to say to me: “No matter what.”
“Do you remember—” I start. “Yes.” I laugh. “You don’t even know what I was going to say!” “Doesn’t matter,” he says gruffly. “I remember it.”
The rarest and most special gift is loving someone the way they want, or need, to be loved.
“We want to draw, because we want to understand.”
What if we never get over it? I’d asked Vin. And I think . . . I think the answer is in that drawing and in that photo. Maybe we never really get over anything. It just becomes . . . a part of your drawing, a part of your story. You adapt, you grow, you think about it less. You form new habits. You meet new people. But getting over it? Making it like it didn’t even happen? I don’t know. If you want it like it never happened . . . that’s just denial, right? We have to learn how to accept it. It happened. It’s real. We’re here on the other side. We’re smiling from the other side. Crying and wailing from the other side. Yes, cooking from the other side. Holding each other and feeling perfectly fine on an awful lot of days.
・・・・・
pre-review: wow 😭😭😭 there are no words 😭😭 the plot twist at the end gave me full body chills. I was sobbing 😭😭 I love you Cara Bastone! rtc
March 31, 2026
If anyone can help my 6 month long slump, it's Cara 🤞🏻
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