This was my first book from this author and I wasn’t sure what to expect initially. It began with Livia, a free spirit, finding independence from her family in the big city. In the early chapters we could be part of her growth as she sought to find herself. What she also found was Nero, a narcissistic man who would slowly begin to destroy her.
The writing was truly haunting. I could feel every one of Livia’s emotions as she tried to make good choices but was railroaded and gaslit into bad ones. I found myself rooting for her to find her strength again and to believe in herself.
An exceptional story and a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher, for providing me with an ebook of this in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I start every slightly negative review with the words 'I really wanted to enjoy this'. And I did. Reading the blurb I thought this would be an interesting literary fiction piece critisicing the ease of toxic relationships in our day and age and the comfortability people have in being toxic in relationships, sure in the knowledge that they will get away with it. Unfortunately, this didn't deliver the way I needed it to, and I ended up DNF'ing at about halfway through.

The style of writing was truly beautiful, haunting, and lyrical. I loved the structure of the chapters, the fact that this was written more like a stream of consciousness rather than as a novel with structures. I enjoyed reading the style of writing, the ups and downs, and the flow of the writing. In that, the author did exceptionally well. However, I felt that I couldn't get attached to the characters or story. All I felt was apathy toward them. Books are meant to make you feel something, and this one probably would for some readers, but it didn't work for me. I just ended up feeling bored and wondering why the chapters seemed to be repeats. If the author was trying to make all the characters unlovable as a literary technique, then they definitely succeeded. If this wasn't their aim, however, it began to become a problem. The character the book follows and is written in the point of view of is as hateable as the character who was meant to be the 'villian', (or as much of a villain you can get in a lit fic book).

This book would work for readers who are looking for unlikable characters and a constant cycle of the same things but different fonts, but for me, it didn't work. I felt myself going mad with all the circles. I enjoy books that have a clearly defined progress throughout, and this was just lacking that for me.

3 stars because it really was beautifully written.

Dnf to me a bit too teensy and agnst ridden I could imagine her biting her lip and twirling her hair as she told the story. Not so much general fiction as teenage novel. Not for me.

This was an exciting and fun read. I enjoyed the nuance that comes with trauma and what that means for relationships. I was never bored, and the author's writing was very engaging. I will recommend it to friends and book communities because this is a strong debut.

I have no words, it is definitely one of the best books I have ever read. It was written so beautifully and it was like seeing the reflection of my last relationship on every page. The more I read, the more I remembered everything I had been through. My ex was narcissistic and had some addictions, and every time he was drunk he turned into a monster. This book was like having therapy, not only did it help me understand what my relationship was like from a new perspective, but I was also able to educate myself and understand what verbal and psychological abuse entails and how to deal with trauma bonding. I identified with Lidia, because I loved him with every fiber of my being and I used to believe that my love could fix his broken pieces, but the reality is that a broken person ends up breaking you. He was my home. But my house was burning in flames and I was turning into ashes. And now I no longer feel like a victim, but like a survivor. Thank you very much for writing such a masterpiece, it is truly amazing.

This was my first introduction to the author and it was a pleasant one. Definitely a page turning book that not talk just about but but about trauma and the flaws we got as humans and how no one is a perfect person and all love stories come sometimes with pain and scars. Is a easy to read book I would recommend as a light read

I loved reading this book, I enjoyed the change of seeing the character's flaws and trauma from relationships and how love can change you for better / worse.