A warm, cozy bath of a story, I enjoyed every time I picked it back up and would find good things happening to sad and sweet characters. The framework of Eli’s unrequited love makes sense, but most of the sweetness comes from the friendships and confidence that grew around Iris, Eli, and their motley crew of roommates.

Not my usual read, I struggle with split narratives that bounce between different characters and their stories, the transition from one to the next pulls against my natural inclination to gulp a story down to the end. I pushed through a few interactions of each woman’s story, Altha, Kate, and Violet, and the cadence of switching from story to story wasn’t jarring enough to put me off. Rather, all three characters were soon pulling me along in a rush to read more.

I loved the maturity and confidence of this love story. While both learned more about themselves and grew together, they were such well-developed and competent adults before. And simply happier, even better versions of themselves together.

This is a gorgeous fantasy of having your home, your space, your peaceful and enriching routine, and then finding a love that sweetens your life even more. I often read my kids a gorgeous picture book series that begins with Julia’s House for Lost Creatures, this is Julia’s fantasy home all grown up.

I enjoy a meandering Zapata, but this one didn’t unfold particularly well in the first few chapters. Layering world building on top of “A Big Secret” with a thick layer of “so down-to-earth I talk about farts” character development was a lot… but once Nina gets to her destination it was an easier read. The found family of it all definitely drew tears.