4.25 stars - thank you to NetGalley and Jaynhi Allen for an advanced reader copy! this book was a RIDE! one of my favorite tropes, probably my favorite one, is fake dating/marriage so I knew I would like it going into it! Leona and Selorm’s dynamic made me feel every kind of emotion: frustration, heartbreak, happiness, literally every kind of emotion! Leona was absolutely unhinged, possessive and dangerous and I loved that about her! I loved seeing both of their perspectives as they navigated their arrangement, and I have to admit I did enjoy the toxicity (guilty pleasure trope). I got a bit confused at the timelines at some points, but everything started to make sense as I kept reading! I also loved the letters thrown in and Selorm’s yearning it was the cherry on top! Such a fun yet frustrating (in a good way) book that I devoured!

This book is a must read! There was not a moment when my jaw wasn't on the floor. The banter between Leona and Julian was so good. At times I wanted to fight Leona for him!! lol. The twist and turns were not not predictable at all and I couldn't put this book down.

This book had all my favorite troupes, fake relationship, forbidden love, mystery! This book has it all. Sure to be a most talked about in 2025!

When I say this book is juicy… just believe me! I started off a little confused because I think I thought it was going to be fantasy. Maybe because the cover is so intriguing and dark? Sometimes my brain plays tricks on me. However, as I kept reading I realized our setting was in Ghana, a setting I’ve never had the luxury of being placed in before, and that we had two characters that were quick witted and was definitely going to keep the me, the reader, on my toes. By chapter 10, I was intrigued. By chapter 15, I was obsessed. By chapter 20, I started talking out loud to the book and screaming at God to free my man Julian from the shackles of insanity. This book was so twisty and so fun due to all the things that happen. If you’re a fan of kdramas, etc, I would highly recommend cause I had a time. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Also I’m of Caribbean descent and I’m not too familiar with Ghanaian culture. Being in this setting was amazing cause I got to learn about Ghanaian wedding customs and their food. I even googled Waakye to see what it looked like. Scrumptious! So I would also recommend this book if you want to read more diversely and travel without the hassle of going to the airport lol.

Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟
I'm giving 3 stars for now. I DNF'd at 30% because of formatting issues, and I feel like this book deserves a fair chance. So, once the book is released, I will purchase or download it, read it, and then give it a true rating. But based on what I have currently read, this book is going to be good.

Thank you, NetGalley, and ARC provide for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly a DNF for me. I got several chapters in and whilst the storyline sounds promising, the constant over description put me off. The constant focus on her wealth and his poverty as well as the description of opulence in both the environment and the way they looked really pulls from the storyline and is very distracting. The pacing also seems slow but this could be due to the constant description of people and the surroundings. Simply just not for me.

*****UPDATE: the author did send an email that there was a formatting error with the ARC leading some chapters to be misplaced. I'll revisit and recraft my review****
This book was a little confusing and I'm hoping that was the case of editing. Some chapters appeared out of order but overall this book could benefit from a really good edit. The plot of Leona sleeping with her cousin was a little off putting to me...was this supposed to be a thriller as well? Selorm was the only redeemable character but then his actions and his reaction to getting his friend Emily killed was chaotic and a little all over the place. I'm left overall with general confusion and disappointment because this story had really great potential but so much was thrown at the plot and nothing ever seemed to really stick.

This book, wow, no words, in such a good way! The banter, the tension, the drama, the love, it had it all!! I absolutely adored this book, I'd give anything to read it for the first time again!!

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book even though I was very excited for it. The beginning has a hook, the characters seem interesting at first glance, but after 82 pages (22%) it felt like the plot hadn't progressed at all. I'm not sure if the letters to Leona were supposed to be there or if it was a formatting error, but it made things confusing. It felt like the characters were analyzing the plot themselves rather than letting things happen. Honestly, I think this book needs a strong developmental edit. Thanks for the opportunity. I won't be posting this review on socials to avoid discouraging other readers from trying it though.

It appears pages are out of order? The main character Leona has not disappeared yet but then suddenly some pages show a written letter and they are clearly discussing her disappearance or the story post her disappearance. It makes the book flow strange when it flips back to the regular story pages and she is still here and it makes it hard to finish.
I'm not sure if this is how the book is meant to be or if this is an issue with the downloaded arc. I am hesitant to rate the book poorly if this is an error but if this is how it is meant to be, then it is something it should receive less stars for. I have not publicly revied this book on a main site(IE good reads) for this reason.