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The Space He Left
Harper Henderson has everything she's ever wanted-a loving husband, a thriving design business, and a baby on the way. But when Jack's ex-girlfriend Madison returns to their small town dying of cancer, Harper's perfect world begins to crumble. What starts as Jack helping an old friend quickly spirals into something darker. Missed appointments. Broken promises. A husband who's slowly disappearing from their life together.
there is a happy ending for cancer….in more ways than one.
there is a happy ending for cancer….in more ways than one.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2025
574 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Ivy Myst
15 books31 followersRomance addict, book lover, & eternal believer in happily-ever-afters whether it's an MC romance, the redemption of a groveling hero, or the mystical allure of fae, wolf shifters, or dragons! I write what I like to read.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
November 9, 2025
Damn it, I’m so disappointed. I came in ready to feast on some good old marriage-in-crisis, second-chance, and OWD angst. Those are my favorite tropes. I live for a good grovel, a man crying ugly tears while begging for forgiveness, emotional devastation, and eventual healing. I wanted heartbreak and resurrection. What I got instead? A man saying “I was a fool” like it’s the only line he memorized for the audition.
Let me start with something nice before I spiral — the writing was grammatically fine. No spelling errors, and I appreciate that. But lord, did it read like the emotional equivalent of a beige wall. The same sentences were repeated over and over like the author hit copy-paste every other paragraph. If I had to read “because you chose another woman over your pregnant wife” one more time, I was going to start choosing violence. Yes, we know Jack screwed up. Everyone knows. The mailman probably knows. But repeating it a hundred times doesn’t make it deep — it makes it annoying.
And Jack… oh Jack. My dude. You say “I was a fool” so many times that by the end, I was like “Yes, you were. Now shut up and go sit in the corner.” There’s self-awareness, and then there’s turning your character arc into a skipping record.
Now, I’m an emotional reader. If a book is about heartbreak and forgiveness, I want to feel wrecked. I want my soul in shambles, tissues everywhere, me clutching my chest screaming “why would she forgive him!?” But this? This was clinical. Dry. Detached. Like the author was writing an emotional autopsy. I didn’t feel anything except frustration and the creeping suspicion that I accidentally downloaded a textbook about emotional negligence.
Let’s talk about Harper and Jack — the main couple. Or at least, I think they were? Because honestly, I got more chemistry between Harper and Sam (the side character). At one point I was mentally shipping Harper/Sam like, “You know what girl, go where you’re actually seen.” Jack had more romantic thoughts about Madison (his ex) than about Harper, his wife. He described Madison’s green eyes, her beauty, her whatever — I swear he gave her a whole poem. Meanwhile Harper? Nothing. I couldn’t tell you what she even looks like, except that she’s Emma’s mom. That’s it.
And that Madison plotline? Don’t even get me started. Making her the villain just so Jack could swoop in as the poor misunderstood hero was lazy as hell. Like, sir, you do not get to cheat on your pregnant wife, miss your child’s birth, and then get redeemed because your ex turned out to be “secretly evil.” No. That’s not character growth — that’s plot manipulation with a martyr complex.
Speaking of that missed birth — I’m still mad about it. Everyone told Jack they were worried he wouldn’t show up, and he swore he’d be there. Spoiler: he wasn’t. You had one job, Jack. ONE. And all it took was answering your phone. But no, apparently saving damsels and nursing your “hero complex” was more important than, you know, being a father. His excuse? He “craves feeling needed.” Buddy, you have a pregnant wife literally telling you she needs you. What more validation do you need, a neon sign??
After Harper gives birth, she (rightfully) tells him to stay away. Queen behavior. But then he “grovels” — and by grovel, I mean… pays the bills. That’s it. That’s the big act of redemption. He writes checks and acts “quietly devoted.” I’m sorry, but paying your family’s bills is not the Olympic-level grovel I came here for. That’s just called being an adult.
By the time Jack and Harper finally interact again (around the 80% mark, because apparently emotional connection was a subplot), there’s zero chemistry. Every conversation feels like a business meeting about their shared trauma. The emotional spark that’s supposed to make me root for them? Nowhere. Just silence, awkward dialogue, and my patience slowly dying.
In the end, I didn’t feel Jack’s regret for losing Harper. I felt his regret for failing his duties. Like he was sad about breaking a contract, not a heart. And honestly, same — because this book broke mine in all the wrong ways. It was straight out boring and I found myself skipping a lot of sides in the end.
Let me start with something nice before I spiral — the writing was grammatically fine. No spelling errors, and I appreciate that. But lord, did it read like the emotional equivalent of a beige wall. The same sentences were repeated over and over like the author hit copy-paste every other paragraph. If I had to read “because you chose another woman over your pregnant wife” one more time, I was going to start choosing violence. Yes, we know Jack screwed up. Everyone knows. The mailman probably knows. But repeating it a hundred times doesn’t make it deep — it makes it annoying.
And Jack… oh Jack. My dude. You say “I was a fool” so many times that by the end, I was like “Yes, you were. Now shut up and go sit in the corner.” There’s self-awareness, and then there’s turning your character arc into a skipping record.
Now, I’m an emotional reader. If a book is about heartbreak and forgiveness, I want to feel wrecked. I want my soul in shambles, tissues everywhere, me clutching my chest screaming “why would she forgive him!?” But this? This was clinical. Dry. Detached. Like the author was writing an emotional autopsy. I didn’t feel anything except frustration and the creeping suspicion that I accidentally downloaded a textbook about emotional negligence.
Let’s talk about Harper and Jack — the main couple. Or at least, I think they were? Because honestly, I got more chemistry between Harper and Sam (the side character). At one point I was mentally shipping Harper/Sam like, “You know what girl, go where you’re actually seen.” Jack had more romantic thoughts about Madison (his ex) than about Harper, his wife. He described Madison’s green eyes, her beauty, her whatever — I swear he gave her a whole poem. Meanwhile Harper? Nothing. I couldn’t tell you what she even looks like, except that she’s Emma’s mom. That’s it.
And that Madison plotline? Don’t even get me started. Making her the villain just so Jack could swoop in as the poor misunderstood hero was lazy as hell. Like, sir, you do not get to cheat on your pregnant wife, miss your child’s birth, and then get redeemed because your ex turned out to be “secretly evil.” No. That’s not character growth — that’s plot manipulation with a martyr complex.
Speaking of that missed birth — I’m still mad about it. Everyone told Jack they were worried he wouldn’t show up, and he swore he’d be there. Spoiler: he wasn’t. You had one job, Jack. ONE. And all it took was answering your phone. But no, apparently saving damsels and nursing your “hero complex” was more important than, you know, being a father. His excuse? He “craves feeling needed.” Buddy, you have a pregnant wife literally telling you she needs you. What more validation do you need, a neon sign??
After Harper gives birth, she (rightfully) tells him to stay away. Queen behavior. But then he “grovels” — and by grovel, I mean… pays the bills. That’s it. That’s the big act of redemption. He writes checks and acts “quietly devoted.” I’m sorry, but paying your family’s bills is not the Olympic-level grovel I came here for. That’s just called being an adult.
By the time Jack and Harper finally interact again (around the 80% mark, because apparently emotional connection was a subplot), there’s zero chemistry. Every conversation feels like a business meeting about their shared trauma. The emotional spark that’s supposed to make me root for them? Nowhere. Just silence, awkward dialogue, and my patience slowly dying.
In the end, I didn’t feel Jack’s regret for losing Harper. I felt his regret for failing his duties. Like he was sad about breaking a contract, not a heart. And honestly, same — because this book broke mine in all the wrong ways. It was straight out boring and I found myself skipping a lot of sides in the end.
October 23, 2025
Read on Wattpad.
I find this trope curious … marriage in trouble because he’s easily manipulated by an obviously evil OW— everyone around him is telling him he’s being used, but he doesn’t see it… How do you forgive stupid?
I find this trope curious … marriage in trouble because he’s easily manipulated by an obviously evil OW— everyone around him is telling him he’s being used, but he doesn’t see it… How do you forgive stupid?
November 18, 2025
I love this scenario, the clueless H that is being hoodwinked by his BFF into prioritizing her ahead of his lady love. (she’s technically a childhood friend/ex-gf) While I liked some parts, I struggled to connect with Harper and Jack because he started ghosting her early on, and their chemistry never felt convincing. Harper didn't express her feelings or react/complain, so I found it hard to sympathize with her. I need characters to openly communicate/express emotions to create feels.
BUT I am nothing if not flexible, so I quickly put on drama-llama hat and started gobbling down Jack’s absolutely unrealistic cluelessness to Madison’s machinations. And boy did he dig that hole, honestly IMO the author might’ve oversold it a bit because it was hard to even imagine that he loved Harper at all. (or possessed the mental faculties -or balls- to function) Usually the dude is kissing ass and trying to makeup between screw ups, but not Jack, he was fully committed to being a dum-dum.
Then Harper finally had enough, and it was fun for a bit, but I started getting bored because she ceased all contact including pretty much blackmailing him with divorce if he didn’t agree with all her demands including limited his access to see his daughter to two supervised visits a week.
Honestly, I thought she had more chemistry with Sam than Jack, but if the marriage was to be saved, an engaging reconciliation would make for better reading than her ignoring him for almost half of the book. Respecting boundaries and therapy may be healthy in real life, but they aren't very exciting in fiction.
Bottom Line- It was ok. I liked the first 40% then things slowed WAY DOWN because they didn’t even speak until almost 80% and that is WAY TOO long for internal musings for me. I’m an impatient reader though. I would’ve preferred more back and forth arguments during the Madison time with Jack feeling conflicted trying to appease both women (similar to Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense) to generate more angst and drama. I would’ve loved to see a Jack vs. Madison face-to-face smack down. She disappeared very quickly after all the trouble she went to get him. I’m glad she added the epilogue 22 years out.
BUT I am nothing if not flexible, so I quickly put on drama-llama hat and started gobbling down Jack’s absolutely unrealistic cluelessness to Madison’s machinations. And boy did he dig that hole, honestly IMO the author might’ve oversold it a bit because it was hard to even imagine that he loved Harper at all. (or possessed the mental faculties -or balls- to function) Usually the dude is kissing ass and trying to makeup between screw ups, but not Jack, he was fully committed to being a dum-dum.
Then Harper finally had enough, and it was fun for a bit, but I started getting bored because she ceased all contact including pretty much blackmailing him with divorce if he didn’t agree with all her demands including limited his access to see his daughter to two supervised visits a week.
Honestly, I thought she had more chemistry with Sam than Jack, but if the marriage was to be saved, an engaging reconciliation would make for better reading than her ignoring him for almost half of the book. Respecting boundaries and therapy may be healthy in real life, but they aren't very exciting in fiction.
Bottom Line- It was ok. I liked the first 40% then things slowed WAY DOWN because they didn’t even speak until almost 80% and that is WAY TOO long for internal musings for me. I’m an impatient reader though. I would’ve preferred more back and forth arguments during the Madison time with Jack feeling conflicted trying to appease both women (similar to Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense) to generate more angst and drama. I would’ve loved to see a Jack vs. Madison face-to-face smack down. She disappeared very quickly after all the trouble she went to get him. I’m glad she added the epilogue 22 years out.
Want to read
November 25, 2025Hmm. The hero rushes to the side of his friend (ex-GF) on his third anniversary with his pregnant and very understanding wife. Said GF has "cancer". The H doesn't find it odd that she's in a Dermatological Wing.
November 18, 2025
Impressed with the amount of angst this emotional cheating story was packed with. Told in dual narratives & chapters we are able to experience both mc’s thought processes and feelings. I naturally empathized with our female main character having gone through something with similarities. There are sometimes I can understand the males pov, but this wasn’t one of them. What was going on in the shadows was obvious to everyone in that small little town except this idiot! Why men are so trusting in the female sex is beyond me. I was happy with the level of grovel and growth our MMC made, and our fmc’s realization she and the baby deserved better, and her stand to get it. All around a good read for this trope.
November 13, 2025
★★. he had a hero complex and both of them had no clue what an emotional affair was. im sorry but even with the epilogue years later, im not convinced he wouldn’t cheat again because the complex didn’t go away.
read some groveling but honestly it was time jump after time jump and we were told a lot of it. I wanted to see more and more angst.
For my safety readers; emotional cheating. The mmc has an emotional affair for months with his ex girlfriend who he believes has cancer. The fmc takes years to forgive him.
read some groveling but honestly it was time jump after time jump and we were told a lot of it. I wanted to see more and more angst.
For my safety readers; emotional cheating. The mmc has an emotional affair for months with his ex girlfriend who he believes has cancer. The fmc takes years to forgive him.
October 25, 2025
The H is so monumentally stupid in this book, it was hard to suspend disbelief. There was some good angst, though.
October 27, 2025
Not really sure how to rate it because the writing wasn’t bad but I just didn’t love the story.
I do enjoy a marriage in crisis, but I hate emotional cheating in books. 😢 I have read books with a similar premise of the hero giving attention to a woman friend, but you can tell he’s just dumb and doesn’t have romantic feelings for her. That was not this book. Despite the hero saying he never thought of the OW sexually, I did think he had lingering feelings for her and there are moments where you can’t believe someone could be that naive in real life. Her being an ex girlfriend made it even more stomach churning.
The good part was that no one excuses his behavior and everyone in their life calls him out on it. Also, the heroine is definitely a bit of a martyr at first, but when she’s done, she’s done. They don’t really reconcile until a couple years later.
I’m also conflicted in stories like this when the OW always ends up being “evil” or manipulative. I feel like it makes it more palatable but what if she wasn’t??
Anyway. I did like that the heroine made him work for it, that he got therapy and worked so hard to get back into her life, but any kind of cheating just is not for me. 🤷🏻♀️
I do enjoy a marriage in crisis, but I hate emotional cheating in books. 😢 I have read books with a similar premise of the hero giving attention to a woman friend, but you can tell he’s just dumb and doesn’t have romantic feelings for her. That was not this book. Despite the hero saying he never thought of the OW sexually, I did think he had lingering feelings for her and there are moments where you can’t believe someone could be that naive in real life. Her being an ex girlfriend made it even more stomach churning.
The good part was that no one excuses his behavior and everyone in their life calls him out on it. Also, the heroine is definitely a bit of a martyr at first, but when she’s done, she’s done. They don’t really reconcile until a couple years later.
I’m also conflicted in stories like this when the OW always ends up being “evil” or manipulative. I feel like it makes it more palatable but what if she wasn’t??
Anyway. I did like that the heroine made him work for it, that he got therapy and worked so hard to get back into her life, but any kind of cheating just is not for me. 🤷🏻♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2025
The second half just dragged
I cried during the first half. I felt so bad for Harper. Jack was an idiot. and Madison was evil. Truly evil. But he definitely crossed lines with Madison and I truly hated him. I understand he worked on himself and slowly tried to prove himself to her again and it took a year, but it really was boring. I just started losing interest. I'm glad they got back.together and the epilogue was sweet. It was their 25th anniversary.
I cried during the first half. I felt so bad for Harper. Jack was an idiot. and Madison was evil. Truly evil. But he definitely crossed lines with Madison and I truly hated him. I understand he worked on himself and slowly tried to prove himself to her again and it took a year, but it really was boring. I just started losing interest. I'm glad they got back.together and the epilogue was sweet. It was their 25th anniversary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2025
Something the same but different
This was a very good and different second chance story. It was so good and engrossing you felt like you were there a part of the story. I was rooting for the couple. The epilogue was cute and let us know how successful their HEA was.
This was a very good and different second chance story. It was so good and engrossing you felt like you were there a part of the story. I was rooting for the couple. The epilogue was cute and let us know how successful their HEA was.
November 9, 2025
4.25⭐️
November 14, 2025
I’m just so disappointed in the Harper for taking him back. I wish there was an alternative ending where she moved on and lived happily ever after with someone who loves Emma too.
It doesn’t matter if it was physical or not. He still cheated on his pregnant wife and missed the birth of their daughter because of another woman. He literally paid for the ow new fucking pair of boobs. He should’ve sued her or did something worse as payback. Karma didn’t hit the ow hard enough.
I got hooked on this book due to a quote on TikTok but overall disappointed in this book in general.
It doesn’t matter if it was physical or not. He still cheated on his pregnant wife and missed the birth of their daughter because of another woman. He literally paid for the ow new fucking pair of boobs. He should’ve sued her or did something worse as payback. Karma didn’t hit the ow hard enough.
I got hooked on this book due to a quote on TikTok but overall disappointed in this book in general.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2025
Saved by the Epilogue
This was going to be a 1 star review, but the epilogue bumped it up to a 2 star review.
This was going to be a 1 star review, but the epilogue bumped it up to a 2 star review.
November 12, 2025
This is one of the quickest books I have ever read and also the most frustrating! This book has me cheering on the villain, because all the men she encounters are apparently idiots and don’t Google things. The fact the neither the mmc or the fmc had any idea of the concept of emotional cheating is ridiculous! And justice for Sam because the only thing that would have saved this book was the fmc getting with him.
Her husband actively chose his ex girlfriend( who he thought had cancer but she was lying about it) over his pregnant wife for the final 2 months of her pregnancy and he missed the birth of his child, because the ex was being all Meredith grey, pick me, choose me and he did, knowing that he wife was about to pop. Also, a couple of weeks before this his wife was worried about early labour and was texting him and trying to contact him, madison apparently put his phone on silent and what did he say to his wife when he realised? She probably put the phone on silent after looking at pictures of our house and family cause she needed her rest!
This book praises him because after the fall out he chose his wife, but that’s because there wasn’t another option. When there was another option, his wife and child and business (his fathers 30 year business was demolished in 2 months because the ex was more important than that as well) wasn’t even a blip on his radar. Also, he apparently paid for a whole bunch of things to do with her “cancer therapy” which ended up being enough to pay for a boob job!! He also didn’t mention anything about that to his wife.
Also, the “grovel”! not only did the book praise him for choosing his wife when there wasn’t another option, it also praised him for doing the bare minimum for his wife to keep her house together after he ruined it. He paid for the mortgage and groceries? She’s raising his child!!! That’s the least he can do after he cheated on her! He can pay for a boob job, he can pay for some food for his daughter! And then when she apologised for going on dates with someone after they were separated? Saying they both made mistakes???
Like and for a whole town slating him and saying his a horrible person having an affair on his wife, and ruining his business, he again did one thing that was bare minimum and they were ready to forgive him. His Forman doesn’t like him cause the business it trashed and they have to fire people, Jack says I’m rich, give them my salary instead and he’s back on the pedestal? Sam hates him for cheating on harper, Sam hears Jack cussing out madison after he realised she played him like a fiddle, again back on a pedestal? Bare minimum!!!
Ps #madisonstan!!! She was named and shamed on Reddit like a year after starting this kind of con and apparently carried it on for over 20 years!!! Girl get your bag!!
Her husband actively chose his ex girlfriend( who he thought had cancer but she was lying about it) over his pregnant wife for the final 2 months of her pregnancy and he missed the birth of his child, because the ex was being all Meredith grey, pick me, choose me and he did, knowing that he wife was about to pop. Also, a couple of weeks before this his wife was worried about early labour and was texting him and trying to contact him, madison apparently put his phone on silent and what did he say to his wife when he realised? She probably put the phone on silent after looking at pictures of our house and family cause she needed her rest!
This book praises him because after the fall out he chose his wife, but that’s because there wasn’t another option. When there was another option, his wife and child and business (his fathers 30 year business was demolished in 2 months because the ex was more important than that as well) wasn’t even a blip on his radar. Also, he apparently paid for a whole bunch of things to do with her “cancer therapy” which ended up being enough to pay for a boob job!! He also didn’t mention anything about that to his wife.
Also, the “grovel”! not only did the book praise him for choosing his wife when there wasn’t another option, it also praised him for doing the bare minimum for his wife to keep her house together after he ruined it. He paid for the mortgage and groceries? She’s raising his child!!! That’s the least he can do after he cheated on her! He can pay for a boob job, he can pay for some food for his daughter! And then when she apologised for going on dates with someone after they were separated? Saying they both made mistakes???
Like and for a whole town slating him and saying his a horrible person having an affair on his wife, and ruining his business, he again did one thing that was bare minimum and they were ready to forgive him. His Forman doesn’t like him cause the business it trashed and they have to fire people, Jack says I’m rich, give them my salary instead and he’s back on the pedestal? Sam hates him for cheating on harper, Sam hears Jack cussing out madison after he realised she played him like a fiddle, again back on a pedestal? Bare minimum!!!
Ps #madisonstan!!! She was named and shamed on Reddit like a year after starting this kind of con and apparently carried it on for over 20 years!!! Girl get your bag!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2025
Are all men this dumb?
Well we know all men really aren’t as dumb as this guy, but based on this trope you can certainly feel as if this is true!
The ex from high school shows up planning to steal the MMC. And basically she succeeds in a way because he manages to miss his child’s birth. He doesn’t love the ex but he has put her before his wife one too many times.
This is one of my favorite tropes. He doesn’t physically cheat but the emotional aspect is worse in many ways. He has lost the necessary trust.
KU read, and it’s a good story but nothing special. I did enjoy it.
Well we know all men really aren’t as dumb as this guy, but based on this trope you can certainly feel as if this is true!
The ex from high school shows up planning to steal the MMC. And basically she succeeds in a way because he manages to miss his child’s birth. He doesn’t love the ex but he has put her before his wife one too many times.
This is one of my favorite tropes. He doesn’t physically cheat but the emotional aspect is worse in many ways. He has lost the necessary trust.
KU read, and it’s a good story but nothing special. I did enjoy it.
November 3, 2025
Frustrating, realistic, but honestly… this man tested my patience
This story follows Jack and Harper — a married couple expecting a baby — and while I appreciate what the author tried to do, I spent most of the book wanting to shake Jack by the shoulders.
Jack lets his ex manipulate him by pretending she has cancer, and instead of using one single brain cell, he falls straight into his hero complex and emotionally cheats. And the worst part? He acts confused about why it’s a problem until his therapist literally spells out “emotional affair” for him. Like… sir. Be serious.
Harper being seven months pregnant while he’s emotionally tangled up with another woman? Missing the birth of his daughter because he’s busy “helping” his ex? Leaving his wife on their anniversary?
No. Absolutely not. My blood pressure said “I hate it here.”
Now, to be fair — I loved Harper’s reactions. She didn’t play the “understanding wife.” She stood her ground. She left. She protected her peace. And I respected her so much for it.
The book then follows a slow burn emotional fallout — years of small gestures, growth, therapy, rebuilding trust. It was realistic, and I can appreciate that the author didn’t rely on some dramatic grovel or easy forgiveness.
Did he redeem himself fully? Honestly… no.
But did he work enough on himself to earn another chance?
Reluctantly, yes.
I didn’t hate the message — it just wasn’t a story I enjoyed sitting through. The emotional realism might work for some people, but personally, watching this man be blindly manipulated and so clueless about what he was doing… it was too frustrating to enjoy.
It hurt, it angered me, and at the end I didn’t swoon — I just exhaled and said, “Okay, finally.”
Not a bad book — just not the kind of second-chance arc I love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2025
Unsure
I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. She knew the man had a hero complex. Sure he was neglectful for 2 months then she used the baby to get back at him and kept him in limbo for over a year and went out on dates with another man. I feel like that is more of a betrayal. Call it just going out as a friend but she was literally dating him to see if there was a "spark" all while letting her husband just wait in the wings.
I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. She knew the man had a hero complex. Sure he was neglectful for 2 months then she used the baby to get back at him and kept him in limbo for over a year and went out on dates with another man. I feel like that is more of a betrayal. Call it just going out as a friend but she was literally dating him to see if there was a "spark" all while letting her husband just wait in the wings.
November 14, 2025
this book was SO infuriating but I couldn't put it down so do what you want with that information
November 14, 2025
Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me.
The whole focus of his neglect and his redemption is that the OW was faking she was sick (circa 60% of the book). Considering I don’t know if the MMC would feel bad and prioritise his wife if the OW was sick FOR REAL, can’t really say that he is redeemable.
While the writing was okay, I didn’t feel any emotional connection with the characters which shouldn’t be happening considering the book tropes.
The whole focus of his neglect and his redemption is that the OW was faking she was sick (circa 60% of the book). Considering I don’t know if the MMC would feel bad and prioritise his wife if the OW was sick FOR REAL, can’t really say that he is redeemable.
While the writing was okay, I didn’t feel any emotional connection with the characters which shouldn’t be happening considering the book tropes.
November 12, 2025
Jack and Harper have been married for a few years and are a few months away from having their baby, when his ex suddenly comes back into the picture. This wouldn’t have been a big deal but his ex Madison has cancer and Jack had a hero complex he has a need to fulfill. He runs to her side to help her through this hard time but in doing so he slowly starts to push away his wife. He starts to miss important appointments and dates, while his wife Harper can understand to an extent it all becomes too much after he misses the birth of their daughter.
This is the straw that breaks the camels back and Harper decides to separate from him. She realizes his priorities are elsewhere and she won’t allow her daughter to be second choice to her husband. Upon realizing how bad he messed up Jack makes it his mission to prove himself to his wife.
This is the straw that breaks the camels back and Harper decides to separate from him. She realizes his priorities are elsewhere and she won’t allow her daughter to be second choice to her husband. Upon realizing how bad he messed up Jack makes it his mission to prove himself to his wife.
November 23, 2025
Harper and Jack
I love angst and lots of grovelling I my reads and this book really hit the spot on that front, though not so much on the sexy, spicy time between the two main characters.
But you know what? It really was a great read and what Jack did to Harper was not conducive to romantic encounters as he was too busy grovelling. Abd to top it off, Harper did not forgive him quickly which is one of tge problems in many books. It actually took Jack 2 years to be allowed back in the house.
Highly recommended
I love angst and lots of grovelling I my reads and this book really hit the spot on that front, though not so much on the sexy, spicy time between the two main characters.
But you know what? It really was a great read and what Jack did to Harper was not conducive to romantic encounters as he was too busy grovelling. Abd to top it off, Harper did not forgive him quickly which is one of tge problems in many books. It actually took Jack 2 years to be allowed back in the house.
Highly recommended
December 12, 2025
Three years????? Life’s too short.
November 10, 2025
easily manipulated H
rage read
must be a little crazy to like
rage read
must be a little crazy to like
October 28, 2025
I enjoyed this book but the conflict between Jack and Madison felt manufactured. Jack said, "I felt guilty about how things ended with Madison, felt responsible for her pain when she'd left town all those years ago." He also said, "It was about the eighteen-year-old kid who had failed to keep his promise to his first love." None of this made any sense because it was Madison who broke up with him, not the other way around. She was the one who decided to end their long distance relationship and when she did, she was "full of excitement for a life that didn't include me." Jack carrying guilt for that for all those years was groundless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2025
⭐️: 2.5
Summary: This is a contemporary, second chance romance.
Additional tropes:
✅ Other woman drama
Detailed spoilers/trigger warnings (if any) and final thoughts can be found below.
The main characters are Harper and Jack. They are happily married expecting their first child. On the night of their wedding anniversary dinner, Jack receives a text message from his ex-girlfriend/current friend that she is very unwell. The FMC is understanding in the beginning. She supports Jack as he wants to be there for his friend every step of the way.
As the next several weeks progress, and she is further along in her pregnancy, she is starting to feel neglected, and her feelings are exacerbated by the fact that her friends and family have also noticed her husband‘s absence. He continues to miss several important events, along with important work responsibilities, all in the name of helping this friend. We later find out that this was all a manipulative and lying scheme from her to break up his marriage.
The damage is done, and the FMC has reached her breaking point. After the birth of their daughter, she initiates a separation, which continues for the next couple of years. During this time, the MMC begins the work on himself that needs to happen because he wants to reconcile with the FMC to rebuild their family and restore the trust and love in their marriage. Harper wants to believe him, but also knows that only time will tell.
⚠️SPOILERS/SPICE/DETAILED TRIGGERS⚠️
*The other woman drama in this story was very manipulative and there was a lot of angst and drama that resulted from her actions.
Final thoughts: This story was okay. This was your typical marriage in trouble because the MMC is an absolute idiot who realizes too late the mistakes that he made and must now face the consequences of what that looks like.
I’m not gonna lie I did not want her to end up with Jack. He was just too stupid in this book for me to look past what he did. The constant gaslighting and making excuses for everything was just too much.
When he did his therapy and he was working on himself, it helped you to understand a little bit more. But to be so completely blinded that you are blowing up every aspect of your life was just a little weird to me. Like it was completely unrealistic.
The book was very repetitive and dragged on in places. There was a little too much in your face of pointing out certain things. Like the constant need to point out that Jack was such a great guy. The constant need to remind us that everyone was staring at her, and everyone was talking about her and everyone was acting a little weird around her. Like I just felt like this was way overdone.
But I could appreciate the reconciliation and the work that was done to be what he needed to be for his family. The drama was good. We got a little karma update for the other woman which I liked. Overall, this is a maybe regarding a book recommendation.
Summary: This is a contemporary, second chance romance.
Additional tropes:
✅ Other woman drama
Detailed spoilers/trigger warnings (if any) and final thoughts can be found below.
The main characters are Harper and Jack. They are happily married expecting their first child. On the night of their wedding anniversary dinner, Jack receives a text message from his ex-girlfriend/current friend that she is very unwell. The FMC is understanding in the beginning. She supports Jack as he wants to be there for his friend every step of the way.
As the next several weeks progress, and she is further along in her pregnancy, she is starting to feel neglected, and her feelings are exacerbated by the fact that her friends and family have also noticed her husband‘s absence. He continues to miss several important events, along with important work responsibilities, all in the name of helping this friend. We later find out that this was all a manipulative and lying scheme from her to break up his marriage.
The damage is done, and the FMC has reached her breaking point. After the birth of their daughter, she initiates a separation, which continues for the next couple of years. During this time, the MMC begins the work on himself that needs to happen because he wants to reconcile with the FMC to rebuild their family and restore the trust and love in their marriage. Harper wants to believe him, but also knows that only time will tell.
⚠️SPOILERS/SPICE/DETAILED TRIGGERS⚠️
*The other woman drama in this story was very manipulative and there was a lot of angst and drama that resulted from her actions.
Final thoughts: This story was okay. This was your typical marriage in trouble because the MMC is an absolute idiot who realizes too late the mistakes that he made and must now face the consequences of what that looks like.
I’m not gonna lie I did not want her to end up with Jack. He was just too stupid in this book for me to look past what he did. The constant gaslighting and making excuses for everything was just too much.
When he did his therapy and he was working on himself, it helped you to understand a little bit more. But to be so completely blinded that you are blowing up every aspect of your life was just a little weird to me. Like it was completely unrealistic.
The book was very repetitive and dragged on in places. There was a little too much in your face of pointing out certain things. Like the constant need to point out that Jack was such a great guy. The constant need to remind us that everyone was staring at her, and everyone was talking about her and everyone was acting a little weird around her. Like I just felt like this was way overdone.
But I could appreciate the reconciliation and the work that was done to be what he needed to be for his family. The drama was good. We got a little karma update for the other woman which I liked. Overall, this is a maybe regarding a book recommendation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2025
Second chance marriage
Harper and Jack have a great marriage and are excited about the birth of their first child. But when Jack’s high school girlfriend shows up, the marriage goes down hill quickly with a separation for the shaky marriage.
Jack is a good man who is gullible to the lies by his ex. She takes advantage of his caring heart but he makes all the poor choices. He does seek professional help when his life falls apart. Harper is strong but also makes Jack grovel to even see his daughter. I did not like how Harper used their child as a weapon to punish Jack but she eventually change her mind.
No physical cheating by Jack, but emotional cheating.
Harper and Jack have a great marriage and are excited about the birth of their first child. But when Jack’s high school girlfriend shows up, the marriage goes down hill quickly with a separation for the shaky marriage.
Jack is a good man who is gullible to the lies by his ex. She takes advantage of his caring heart but he makes all the poor choices. He does seek professional help when his life falls apart. Harper is strong but also makes Jack grovel to even see his daughter. I did not like how Harper used their child as a weapon to punish Jack but she eventually change her mind.
No physical cheating by Jack, but emotional cheating.
November 8, 2025
The Space He Left was about Jack Henderson, the owner of Henderson Construction Company, and his wife, Harper Henderson, the owner of an interior design business. (Both main characters were in their late 20s to early 30s. The only reason I can state that is because of the epilogue.)
Jack and Harper had been married for three years and were expecting their first child in two months. While out celebrating their third anniversary, Jack was acting differently, constantly checking his phone and making excuses... something he had never done before. When his phone wouldn't stop buzzing, he finally checked it and then told her he had to go due to an emergency. When she finally got him to confess what it was about, he admitted it was Madison, his former high school girlfriend and first love, although he never told Harper that. All he told her was that Madison had been a childhood friend of his. He told Harper the other woman was in the hospital in the city, diagnosed with cancer and not long to live. Since she "had no one else" to be there for her, he was going to her side. He left his wife with an "I don't know when I'll be back" and left the restaurant. He didn't return until after 9 the following morning. It was then he told her that he would be returning to the city to help Madison to and from chemo and other appointments...for as long as it took. Already, the other woman started interfering in their marriage, and fights were beginning. Later that morning, the rumor mill finally reached Harper's ears, and she learned the truth about Jack's past relationship with Madison.
After Jack received a third "emergency" call in a space of days from Madison, his foreman called him on it, telling him people were beginning to think his business was about to tank because he was dropping the ball with his clients. Jack didn't listen to him. He waited until he was already driving into the city to tell Harper via a phone call, apologizing for missing a birthing class...just as he had already missed a doctor's appointment. He had even missed an ultrasound appointment and wasn't even excited when Harper showed him the picture from the sonogram because all of his thoughts had been focused on Madison. Then, more messages from family and friends started appearing on his phone, telling him more than anything how he was screwing up his life, but he couldn't and wouldn't leave Madison alone. The rumor mill only got worse after that, and it all got back to Harper.
Over the course of the final two months of Harper's pregnancy, Jack devoted more and more of his time to Madison's well-being, sacrificing not only his marriage but also his family business. The more time he spent in the city, the more everything else suffered, and nothing anyone said or did could convince him that he was screwing up. Madison made certain he chose her over everything else, always somehow managing to guilt him into being with her without him seeing it as guilt. Unfortunately, two weeks later (and two days early), he missed the birth of their daughter because he was once again with Madison, who convinced him not to answer his phone but to spend time with her instead. That meant another man was present at the birth of his daughter instead of Jack. When Sam finally managed to get ahold of Jack, he ripped him a new hole and made him face the truth...Madison was not sick...and Jack had put his marriage in jeopardy for a lying, b*tch of a viper...on top of missing the birth of his daughter and putting his business at risk. It took a long time before Harper could trust Jack in any capacity.
While there was an overabundance of angst, drama, and twists and turns in the emotional rollercoaster, what this story lacked was spiciness, because it wasn't about the bedroom scenes. It was more or less about how a couple recovered from one spouse's emotional cheating on the other spouse. There was another review that stated the FMC was in the wrong in how she "weaponized" their child where her wayward husband was concerned. This referred to the knee-jerk maneuver she made in regards to co-parenting and visitation. While at the beginning of his road back to the family, the FMC did have her attorney draw up a very strict visitation schedule, which only lasted for a few days before she had both their mothers make arrangements to give the MMC more time with their daughter. Even though their separation was a long one, she didn't keep the MMC from seeing the baby as often as he could.
Both of the main characters were well developed and mature, with both of them needing to do a lot of growing, which this author was generous enough to allow. Neither of them laid all the blame at the other spouse's feet, but they both owned their share of mistakes.
I gave this story a four-star rating because it earned it. I am interested in reading more of this author's books in the future.
Jack and Harper had been married for three years and were expecting their first child in two months. While out celebrating their third anniversary, Jack was acting differently, constantly checking his phone and making excuses... something he had never done before. When his phone wouldn't stop buzzing, he finally checked it and then told her he had to go due to an emergency. When she finally got him to confess what it was about, he admitted it was Madison, his former high school girlfriend and first love, although he never told Harper that. All he told her was that Madison had been a childhood friend of his. He told Harper the other woman was in the hospital in the city, diagnosed with cancer and not long to live. Since she "had no one else" to be there for her, he was going to her side. He left his wife with an "I don't know when I'll be back" and left the restaurant. He didn't return until after 9 the following morning. It was then he told her that he would be returning to the city to help Madison to and from chemo and other appointments...for as long as it took. Already, the other woman started interfering in their marriage, and fights were beginning. Later that morning, the rumor mill finally reached Harper's ears, and she learned the truth about Jack's past relationship with Madison.
After Jack received a third "emergency" call in a space of days from Madison, his foreman called him on it, telling him people were beginning to think his business was about to tank because he was dropping the ball with his clients. Jack didn't listen to him. He waited until he was already driving into the city to tell Harper via a phone call, apologizing for missing a birthing class...just as he had already missed a doctor's appointment. He had even missed an ultrasound appointment and wasn't even excited when Harper showed him the picture from the sonogram because all of his thoughts had been focused on Madison. Then, more messages from family and friends started appearing on his phone, telling him more than anything how he was screwing up his life, but he couldn't and wouldn't leave Madison alone. The rumor mill only got worse after that, and it all got back to Harper.
Over the course of the final two months of Harper's pregnancy, Jack devoted more and more of his time to Madison's well-being, sacrificing not only his marriage but also his family business. The more time he spent in the city, the more everything else suffered, and nothing anyone said or did could convince him that he was screwing up. Madison made certain he chose her over everything else, always somehow managing to guilt him into being with her without him seeing it as guilt. Unfortunately, two weeks later (and two days early), he missed the birth of their daughter because he was once again with Madison, who convinced him not to answer his phone but to spend time with her instead. That meant another man was present at the birth of his daughter instead of Jack. When Sam finally managed to get ahold of Jack, he ripped him a new hole and made him face the truth...Madison was not sick...and Jack had put his marriage in jeopardy for a lying, b*tch of a viper...on top of missing the birth of his daughter and putting his business at risk. It took a long time before Harper could trust Jack in any capacity.
While there was an overabundance of angst, drama, and twists and turns in the emotional rollercoaster, what this story lacked was spiciness, because it wasn't about the bedroom scenes. It was more or less about how a couple recovered from one spouse's emotional cheating on the other spouse. There was another review that stated the FMC was in the wrong in how she "weaponized" their child where her wayward husband was concerned. This referred to the knee-jerk maneuver she made in regards to co-parenting and visitation. While at the beginning of his road back to the family, the FMC did have her attorney draw up a very strict visitation schedule, which only lasted for a few days before she had both their mothers make arrangements to give the MMC more time with their daughter. Even though their separation was a long one, she didn't keep the MMC from seeing the baby as often as he could.
Both of the main characters were well developed and mature, with both of them needing to do a lot of growing, which this author was generous enough to allow. Neither of them laid all the blame at the other spouse's feet, but they both owned their share of mistakes.
I gave this story a four-star rating because it earned it. I am interested in reading more of this author's books in the future.
November 18, 2025
Since I didn’t like one of her books, I tried to read another hoping it would be better.
And to me it was.
There are many inconsistencies and a bit far fetched moments, but the plot was nice.
Hero and heroine are married and expecting their first child.
The hero gets a call during their anniversary date from his ex girlfriend of high school, that tells him she’s sick with cancer, and she is pregnant and alone.
So the hero leaves his pregnant wife at the restaurant to run to his ex.
Who, by the way, is staying to a private clinic for aesthetic surgery. He thinks it’s a modern way to grant privacy to their patients, so he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong.
And from that moment on, the next two months he starts neglecting both his wife and his job because his ex is constantly calling him with an excuse or another and he has to be there because he feels guilty that they broke up after high school.
I don’t know why he felt guilty for their break up since apparently ow dumped him so it should be her feelings guilty not him.
But she was his first love and after all he got married while she never did so he feels guilty. Riiiiiiight.
Well, there’s no sex here and not even kissing but he really prioritizes her over everything and everyone else, even his wife.
He sleeps with ow, meaning he sleeps in the same room with her, because she’s got panic attacks, he hugs her and even sleeps in the same couch sometimes because she’s scared and needs him.
I think he also pays for her lunches because she needs some cheering up after her treatments.
The bizarre thing is that, after that first time when he picked her up at the clinic, he never drove her at the hospital and never went to her visits, they basically meets only after when she finished her therapies.
This was overly strange.
I mean, I sadly know people with cancer and they often need someone who stay with them after the chemo and drive them home, so I don’t understand why the hero had to drive at the hotel where she was staying instead of waiting for her at the clinic.
He wasn’t even suspicious about this.
Of course she was never sick, and she was waiting for a breast procedure to have prosthetics double d cups, and in the meantime the heroine is fed up with him and had the child on her own.
She banish him from their house and sends him papers where she states that he will be able to see their child twice a week at his parents.
So for basically eight months they never meet again, after she gets out of hospital after birth.
He tries to grovel, and is very sorry he’s been a dumb fuck, but the heroine won’t have it.
And well, she even dates a man afterwards, no sex sadly, but at least she tries to have a normal life without him.
The hero is remorseful enough and as soon as he realizes he’s fucked up he breaks up with ow, and blocks her.
It turns out ow was a scammer, and she lied to her boyfriends to have her aesthetic surgeries paid.
Jesus. Men are dumb in this book.
So, he grovels for three years before they get together again, and he’s completely celibate.
The book is quite self published and self edited, there are some repetitions we could have done without and sometimes the ow scam is really unrealistic.
The hero should be some tech dumb who never even use google, so he couldn’t know that she was lying, but man.
Even a 90 year old that doesn’t use the internet would get suspicious if he never saw any side effects for cancer therapies.
She posted on instagram so everyone knew she worked out, had fancy dinners where she ate like a horse, and didn’t look sick at all. Ok, people can pretend, but he should have seen that she was healthy, not sick.
And anyway. She went his wife and his wife was alone and pregnant, giving birth with the help of his bff, that I hoped she could end together with.
But nope.
The author made her take the loser back.
Ok, at least no cheating was physical but the hero was an idiot and a dumb fuck.
Everyone was telling him he was wrong and warning him about ow, but he never listened.
It looked like he carried a torch for his ex, the one that got away.
I liked that the heroine mad him wait years to get together again.
Safety is quite good, he definitely had an emotional affair and hugged ow to comfort her but he never had any sexual thoughts for her.
There obviously a lot of angst in the first part with a crescendo from when ow starts to call to when the heroine gives birth and decides enough is enough.
And to me it was.
There are many inconsistencies and a bit far fetched moments, but the plot was nice.
Hero and heroine are married and expecting their first child.
The hero gets a call during their anniversary date from his ex girlfriend of high school, that tells him she’s sick with cancer, and she is pregnant and alone.
So the hero leaves his pregnant wife at the restaurant to run to his ex.
Who, by the way, is staying to a private clinic for aesthetic surgery. He thinks it’s a modern way to grant privacy to their patients, so he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong.
And from that moment on, the next two months he starts neglecting both his wife and his job because his ex is constantly calling him with an excuse or another and he has to be there because he feels guilty that they broke up after high school.
I don’t know why he felt guilty for their break up since apparently ow dumped him so it should be her feelings guilty not him.
But she was his first love and after all he got married while she never did so he feels guilty. Riiiiiiight.
Well, there’s no sex here and not even kissing but he really prioritizes her over everything and everyone else, even his wife.
He sleeps with ow, meaning he sleeps in the same room with her, because she’s got panic attacks, he hugs her and even sleeps in the same couch sometimes because she’s scared and needs him.
I think he also pays for her lunches because she needs some cheering up after her treatments.
The bizarre thing is that, after that first time when he picked her up at the clinic, he never drove her at the hospital and never went to her visits, they basically meets only after when she finished her therapies.
This was overly strange.
I mean, I sadly know people with cancer and they often need someone who stay with them after the chemo and drive them home, so I don’t understand why the hero had to drive at the hotel where she was staying instead of waiting for her at the clinic.
He wasn’t even suspicious about this.
Of course she was never sick, and she was waiting for a breast procedure to have prosthetics double d cups, and in the meantime the heroine is fed up with him and had the child on her own.
She banish him from their house and sends him papers where she states that he will be able to see their child twice a week at his parents.
So for basically eight months they never meet again, after she gets out of hospital after birth.
He tries to grovel, and is very sorry he’s been a dumb fuck, but the heroine won’t have it.
And well, she even dates a man afterwards, no sex sadly, but at least she tries to have a normal life without him.
The hero is remorseful enough and as soon as he realizes he’s fucked up he breaks up with ow, and blocks her.
It turns out ow was a scammer, and she lied to her boyfriends to have her aesthetic surgeries paid.
Jesus. Men are dumb in this book.
So, he grovels for three years before they get together again, and he’s completely celibate.
The book is quite self published and self edited, there are some repetitions we could have done without and sometimes the ow scam is really unrealistic.
The hero should be some tech dumb who never even use google, so he couldn’t know that she was lying, but man.
Even a 90 year old that doesn’t use the internet would get suspicious if he never saw any side effects for cancer therapies.
She posted on instagram so everyone knew she worked out, had fancy dinners where she ate like a horse, and didn’t look sick at all. Ok, people can pretend, but he should have seen that she was healthy, not sick.
And anyway. She went his wife and his wife was alone and pregnant, giving birth with the help of his bff, that I hoped she could end together with.
But nope.
The author made her take the loser back.
Ok, at least no cheating was physical but the hero was an idiot and a dumb fuck.
Everyone was telling him he was wrong and warning him about ow, but he never listened.
It looked like he carried a torch for his ex, the one that got away.
I liked that the heroine mad him wait years to get together again.
Safety is quite good, he definitely had an emotional affair and hugged ow to comfort her but he never had any sexual thoughts for her.
There obviously a lot of angst in the first part with a crescendo from when ow starts to call to when the heroine gives birth and decides enough is enough.
November 13, 2025
Ugh. I really should have put this down after the first chapter, where the same 2 lines were regurgitated again and again and again. Didn’t you know? “Jack is just so selfless. He really is a wonderful husband. I’m so lucky to be with someone who would drop everything to be there for a friend who has cancer. That’s the type of man I married.” Now repeat that 2000 times. I will admit, the first 1/3 of this book was engaging. I was ready to get to the climax of the conflict so we could get to what I was really here for, which was the grovel, but it all just fell remarkably flat.
Madison was a ridiculous villain. Making her into this calculating master manipulator who concocted a fake cancer scheme to win back her ex boyfriend was stupid, simply put. We couldn’t just have Jack be a piece of shit husband who was chasing after the high he felt as a teenager with his high school sweetheart, because then he’d be irredeemable. No, it’s actually that Madison was secretly evil. Oh, brother.
There’s nothing I can say about Jack that he didn’t already say. This was at least 50% self depreciation trash talk. He’s an idiot. He selfish. He’s a fool. But most importantly, he’s a cheater. He has a full blown emotional affair with his ex, waxes poetic about her, cuddles with her, falls asleep with her several times, reminisces about his lost youth every chance he gets; all while he completely abandons his wife.
Harper, was so completely useless as a character. She’s passive disguised as “understanding” and kind hearted. Months of her husband sleeping in another woman’s hotel room and she doesn’t say shit. Just apologizes for not being understanding when she voices concern. She was meek being passed off as quiet strength.
The entire book was just therapist psychobabble. If we weren’t listening to Jack wallow in self loathing, we were getting the same 5 quotes from his therapist repeated in every which way imaginable. Not to mention this book desperately needed a proofread. Both Madison and Harper are coincidentally in room 314 in their respective hospitals, both Jack and his father organized the fundraiser to rebuild the town library after “the fire.” Weird continuation errors like Jacks mother calling him the night before Harper goes into labor to ask if he’s having an affair, and Jack saying the next day that she called 2 weeks ago. Etc etc etc. It was sloppy.
I came for angst, marriage in trouble, grovel, got none of it.
Madison was a ridiculous villain. Making her into this calculating master manipulator who concocted a fake cancer scheme to win back her ex boyfriend was stupid, simply put. We couldn’t just have Jack be a piece of shit husband who was chasing after the high he felt as a teenager with his high school sweetheart, because then he’d be irredeemable. No, it’s actually that Madison was secretly evil. Oh, brother.
There’s nothing I can say about Jack that he didn’t already say. This was at least 50% self depreciation trash talk. He’s an idiot. He selfish. He’s a fool. But most importantly, he’s a cheater. He has a full blown emotional affair with his ex, waxes poetic about her, cuddles with her, falls asleep with her several times, reminisces about his lost youth every chance he gets; all while he completely abandons his wife.
Harper, was so completely useless as a character. She’s passive disguised as “understanding” and kind hearted. Months of her husband sleeping in another woman’s hotel room and she doesn’t say shit. Just apologizes for not being understanding when she voices concern. She was meek being passed off as quiet strength.
The entire book was just therapist psychobabble. If we weren’t listening to Jack wallow in self loathing, we were getting the same 5 quotes from his therapist repeated in every which way imaginable. Not to mention this book desperately needed a proofread. Both Madison and Harper are coincidentally in room 314 in their respective hospitals, both Jack and his father organized the fundraiser to rebuild the town library after “the fire.” Weird continuation errors like Jacks mother calling him the night before Harper goes into labor to ask if he’s having an affair, and Jack saying the next day that she called 2 weeks ago. Etc etc etc. It was sloppy.
I came for angst, marriage in trouble, grovel, got none of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2025
This book bends over backwards to excuse male abandonment, and it’s infuriating.
The MMC knowingly leaves his pregnant wife during the final months of her pregnancy and misses the birth of his child to emotionally support his ex. Instead of interrogating that choice, the narrative reframes the entire betrayal as a misunderstanding: the OW was lying about having cancer, so the MMC was just a fool who got manipulated.
That framing is unacceptable.
Even if the OW had truly been dying, abandoning your pregnant wife is still unforgivable. Pregnancy and childbirth are not background events that can be morally outweighed by a savior complex. His wife was the one risking her body, her health, and her life—alone—while he justified his absence by repeatedly reminding himself that she was “strong” and “had support.”
What makes this worse is that his abandonment is paired with blatant emotional infidelity. Throughout the book, the MMC is openly nostalgic about his past with the OW, repeatedly circling the admission that feelings for her still exist. He fixates on keeping promises and a supposed “duty” to her—despite the fact that she is effectively a stranger at this point—and speaks about his responsibility to her in terms that clearly supersede his responsibility to his wife. He even romanticizes her beauty in his inner monologue.
He insists he will stay by the OW’s side “no matter the cost,” without ever interrogating what that cost actually is: his wife, his marriage, and his child. He allows boundaries to dissolve completely—holding her while she sleeps, spending time alone with her at her home and out together under the guise of easing her anxiety—liberties that should never have been taken by a married man.
By shifting the blame onto the OW, the book sanitizes the MMC’s actions and erases his agency. He wasn’t tricked into leaving—he chose to. He chose to miss the birth of his child. He chose another woman over his wife at her most vulnerable. That isn’t naïveté; it’s entitlement.
The real problem is that the story refuses to name this choice for what it is. By framing the MMC as misguided rather than accountable, it turns abandonment into an unfortunate misunderstanding instead of a conscious betrayal.
Because the book never truly reckons with that decision, the emotional core falls apart. Redemption without accountability isn’t satisfying—it’s hollow. And no amount of blame placed on the OW can fix that.
The MMC knowingly leaves his pregnant wife during the final months of her pregnancy and misses the birth of his child to emotionally support his ex. Instead of interrogating that choice, the narrative reframes the entire betrayal as a misunderstanding: the OW was lying about having cancer, so the MMC was just a fool who got manipulated.
That framing is unacceptable.
Even if the OW had truly been dying, abandoning your pregnant wife is still unforgivable. Pregnancy and childbirth are not background events that can be morally outweighed by a savior complex. His wife was the one risking her body, her health, and her life—alone—while he justified his absence by repeatedly reminding himself that she was “strong” and “had support.”
What makes this worse is that his abandonment is paired with blatant emotional infidelity. Throughout the book, the MMC is openly nostalgic about his past with the OW, repeatedly circling the admission that feelings for her still exist. He fixates on keeping promises and a supposed “duty” to her—despite the fact that she is effectively a stranger at this point—and speaks about his responsibility to her in terms that clearly supersede his responsibility to his wife. He even romanticizes her beauty in his inner monologue.
He insists he will stay by the OW’s side “no matter the cost,” without ever interrogating what that cost actually is: his wife, his marriage, and his child. He allows boundaries to dissolve completely—holding her while she sleeps, spending time alone with her at her home and out together under the guise of easing her anxiety—liberties that should never have been taken by a married man.
By shifting the blame onto the OW, the book sanitizes the MMC’s actions and erases his agency. He wasn’t tricked into leaving—he chose to. He chose to miss the birth of his child. He chose another woman over his wife at her most vulnerable. That isn’t naïveté; it’s entitlement.
The real problem is that the story refuses to name this choice for what it is. By framing the MMC as misguided rather than accountable, it turns abandonment into an unfortunate misunderstanding instead of a conscious betrayal.
Because the book never truly reckons with that decision, the emotional core falls apart. Redemption without accountability isn’t satisfying—it’s hollow. And no amount of blame placed on the OW can fix that.
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