Hamartia

“I am going to write so many love songs about you. You're going to be sick of them.”

This book was amazing in so many ways. And I say this because it had so many tropes I dislike, but also so many characters who subvert expectations, that I couldn't not love it.

Jae and his insistence on clarity were one of my favorite things. King of ‘say it like it is and let me decide if I want to deal with it or not.' We get so many MCs who fear the answers so they don't ask the questions. I love that he always asked the uncomfortable questions.

I love that the first love declaration wasn't mutual. You rarely get that in books. I love that reality was an actual consideration. Not just head in the clouds.

I love the response to the marriage proposal. So, so poignant.

I love Camilla. It is impossible to elaborate on this any further without spoiling.

I love, love loveeee Rafael. This was the real shocker for me. Because he's such a cliché of a cheating MC, and he fucks up so much (SO DAMN MUCH, like you wouldn't believe) but we're in his head so much that it's so easy to feel his panic, his distress, his fears...to explain why he does the things he does.

And so you can't hate him. I live for characters who have you wanting to bang your head against the wall. Rafa is nothing if not that character.

I love Jae and Rafael together. Separately, yes. But also together. I don't feel one is shortchanged, I don't feel like one does the heavy lifting. There's an equal give and take of betrayal (yes, I know how unhinged this sounds but I loved that).

I love how long this book is. Usually, 8 hours in and I'm lowkey sick of it. This is almost 14 and a half hours and the story doesn't get boring. The pacing is really well done.

What I'm saying is that I love this book in the technical sense, and I love it in the emotional sense.