well...

that wrecked me.

i'm sitting here quietly crying after finishing this because i genuinely don't know how to put into words how much this book meant to me.

this is one of the most poignant, emotionally honest books i've ever read. it's a masterclass in characterization and one of the most authentic portrayals of family i've ever encountered. everyone felt so psychologically real. no one was reduced to a hero or a villain. they were just... people. messy, contradictory, loving, selfish, grieving people trying to make sense of themselves and one another.

i laughed out loud. i cried. i highlighted passage after passage because i kept finding sentences that made me stop and think, "wow... that's exactly what that feeling is."

it's funny because i actually don't gravitate toward third-person omniscient, but here it completely worked. it allowed me to see each member of this family with so much empathy while never losing sight of alice's journey.

more than anything, though, this book reminded me why i love reading.

i had a really hard day at work today. i came home, finished this book, and somehow ended the night crying because i loved a story so much. that's such a gift. i'm incredibly grateful books can still make me feel like this.

i'll be thinking about these summer storms for a very, very long time.

⭐️ 5.0

holly renee… i owe you an apology because i was NOT familiar with your game.

this is, without question, one of the best books i’ve read this year.

colt calloway????? THE MAN THAT YOU ARE. 🤠🤍

no games. no mixed signals. no unnecessary drama. just ten years of loving one girl and patiently waiting for life to bring her home. that’s MY book boyfriend.

but somehow… this book became so much more than the romance.

it’s about grief. identity. home. becoming the version of yourself other people expect… and then finding your way back to the girl you were before any of that.

the whole time i kept thinking about taylor swift’s seven.

“please picture me in the weeds before i learned civility…”

that’s blaire.

coming back to tennessee wasn’t just coming home to a place—it was coming home to herself. 🥹

and DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE BRAVE BERRY. 🍓😭

i actually had to stop reading for a minute because my heart couldn’t take it.

the writing was gorgeous. the storytelling was gorgeous. the characters felt so real. i never wanted to skim. i never wanted it to end.

ryan shay… don’t worry king, you’re still my favorite mmc. 👑

but cowboy casual…

you might just be my favorite book.

some books are five stars.

this one felt like coming home. 🤍🍓

⭐️ 5.0