This book broke my heart and hurt my head. There was so much potential, but it was so poorly written that it ultimately fell flat. It felt as though the outline was there to craft the most beautiful story, but the filler was written in another language and poorly translated. The incorrect word substitutions, stilted dialogue, and incoherent streams of writing during what should have been pivotal moments in the book left you frustrated over what could have been versus what actually was. Significant moments that should have carried emotional weight were instead confusing and difficult to follow. I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but several others on Goodreads questioned whether or not English was Tyra’s first language. While I believe it is, whoever was involved in writing and/or editing this book clearly did not have a strong grasp of English as a native language. The number of times I had to reread a paragraph – only to give up because it didn’t make sense or settle for grasping just the gist of it – was uncanny.

Brought together by a charity event, Maya and Alex can’t seem to escape each other’s orbit. Their tension was palpable from their very first conversation and only escalated when Dr. Richards joined the PR company where Maya works. Determined to keep their distance, they engage in a game of cold shoulder until their effort to avoid one another becomes so extreme that they desperately begin to miss each other.

The problem is, no matter how strong their desire may be, Maya and Alex can’t happen. Not only do they work together, but Dr. Alex Richards is also Maya’s best friend’s brother, and the messiness of that situation is enough to squash any thirst. That is, until one fateful night and a few drinks later, Alex and Maya finally stop running and simply allow themselves to be in each other’s presence – as innocent as it remains. Unfortunately, that momentary bond ignites an unstoppable fire between them. If they aren’t careful, they’re both going to get burned as they watch their worlds go up in flames.

I will be completely transparent – if this wasn’t an ARC, I would have DNFed this book. That said, I’m glad I finished it because, despite the overwhelming frustrations of reading it, the heart and meaning of the story still managed to shine through. That’s the only reason I’d give it three stars instead of two.

Maya and Alex’s struggles with their families were relatable. Both of them felt invisible, though for different reasons, and it’s where they ended up that truly bonded them – two adults trying to do right by themselves, even if it went against their families’ expectations. Add in the forbidden element that arose from the fallout of their relationship with their families, and the book sustains an underlying sense of suspense. I kept wondering how everything was going to play out – whether all the stress, anxiety, pushback, and sacrifices would ultimately be worth it in the end.

Again, the language in this book was a major issue. The more I read, the more I couldn’t tell whether it was the result of AI, a grammar and spelling tool gone rogue, or – as mentioned before – the lack of fluency from the editor. No matter what the reason, the end result was distracting. The frequent mistakes, unnecessary words, and disjointed phrases made it nearly impossible to fully immerse myself in the story.

The book did have some spice to it, but again, the language barrier resulted in scenes that were oddly explained, overly wordy, or confusingly descriptive, which ultimately extinguished the heat of those moments.

Normally, I like to dive deeper into the story, but with this one, my goal was simply to finish it. I hated that because, once again, there was so much “meat and potatoes” here – so much potential – that a solid rewrite could easily make this a five-star read.

One thing that stood out as a plot hole was Alex mentioning an accident that caused his social anxiety, but we never learned what actually happened. It was also unclear how his family suddenly did a complete 180 at the end. While we were given insight into why Maya’s family changed their tune, Alex’s family went from being completely broken to reconciled without much explanation. It was especially confusing since Christina’s anger and her accusations were never really clarified either.

The overall story was captivating, but the fact that it wasn’t well written is what prevents me from recommending it to others. If this book were pushed through another editor and thoroughly redlined to address the sentence structure errors, it could be a phenomenal read. The content is there – the heart, the mood, the emotion, and the intrigue – but the errors completely overshadow it.

As much as it was hinted that there could possibly be something going on between Jake and Christina, I will not be delving further into what could potentially be a series. I hope whatever method was used in writing this story is quickly abandoned. I don’t know if it was done to save time or for another reason, but my recommendation would be to unpublish this book, have Alpha and Beta readers thoroughly review it from start to finish, and then publish it again. I truly believe that if this were done, the book could be a hit.