This was such a breezy and fresh reading experience. Agreed that the main characters and story deal with dark themes like domestic violence, substance abuse issues, and homelessness, but it doesn’t become too overwhelming thanks to the author’s writing style. She seems to have a clear understanding of these critical topics and how to present complicated characters with such complex baggage, which makes all the difference to the treatment given to such sensitive subjects.
The story revolves around two protagonists called Eva Mercy and Shane Hall. Both are accomplished writers and are known for the fierce loyalty bestowed by their fans. While Eva specialises in writing erotic fiction series focused on an eternally ‘cursed’ love story between a vampire and a female assassin/ superhero, Shane, on the other hand, writes general fictional series about a girl called ‘eight’. Naturally, Shane has gathered diverse appreciation and admiration because of his groundbreaking work and is almost worshipped in the literary circles. That is not so much true about Eva’s writing as she considers it lacks depth. Therefore, Eva is not in the mood to continue her vampire love saga and wants to write about her familial story instead. But Eva can’t switch so easily on account of her economic and emotional responsibilities as a single mother to an intelligent twelve-year-old girl.
But they have more than their profession in common. Indeed, they have a history of spending seven days in June together fifteen years ago during their high school year. This past is complicated to say the least, as it has determined the course of their life and inspired their books in obvious ways.
So, this coincidental meeting is not so much unplanned for Shane as it is for Eva. However, what follows after their unexpected meet-up shapes their next seven day in June in present-day New York. Will they be able to forgo their past and look beyond their artistic inspiration to form a mature bond? You will have to read this novel to get answers to such intriguing questions.
As I mentioned before, Tia Williams has presented the background of Shane in quite a humane manner. Even his commitment to help children in need so they don’t have to go through what he has gone through comes very vividly in the book. This backstory helps us to understand Shane’s psyche and the reasoning behind his decisions. Likewise for Eva, explaining her childhood trauma and physical illness helps to establish her character traits and adds weight to her thoughts. So, this is an impressive feat by the author, which helps us to connect with these lead characters instantly and deeply.
Agreed that it is my first book by this accomplished author, certainly it won’t be the last. I would like to read more books by her to get myself acquainted with a different genre.
All-in-all, I would highly recommend this book for an enthralling read. Simply pick it up and dive right in.