I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I promised myself I’d keep this succinct, but I have so many thoughts. One of my undergraduate degrees is in theatre performance, and I’m one semester away from finishing my graduate degree in Theatre. Needless to say, I kinda geek out about all things POTO—which heavily inspired this beautiful story. The cover got my attention, but the story kept me locked in from page one. But I’m going to put the theatrical part of this aside and focus on all of the other things I loved.

Erik—his character is so beautifully redeemed in this story. He has his shortcomings, and his temperament is off-putting, but he truly has a wounded heart. I wanted to scoop him up and hug him. I love that his friends are willing to be honest with him even at the risk of suffering his wrath. He has a beautiful tribe of supporters. His willingness to open up, to grow, to put aside his fears and anxiety… sigh He just… he has such a beautiful arc.

I loved everything about Christine. She is wickedly smart. She’s not overly emotional, and she stands on her own two feet. She works hard for her dreams, and in the end, she proves that she can do things on her own merit without external influences. She had a truly forgiving heart, and it’s one of my favorite things about her.

EVERY character in this story is distinct and memorable. I love that the author captured such varied personalities in even in the smallest roles.

It’s been a long time since I’ve highlighted so many things in a book, so bear with me as I dive into:

My Favorite Things:
· Line: He seemed unconcerned, if not amused by her response, but small children amused people. She wanted to impress him.
· The mask images as section breaks! Adorable!
· Quote: “I sense you trying to slow-walk me to some realization.” I cackled.
· Line: Impersonal. Short. It gave nothing away. Even his emails wore a mask.
· Quote: “I’m nearly twenty-six years old. I cannot possibly be breathing wrong!” So relatable. ANY person who has been trained in music or theatre understands this line with their whole soul. I remember making the same exclamation in my first ever voice lesson.
· Quote (and words to live by): “When all is said and done, you’re the one who must decide to succeed. If you decide to achieve your goals, you’ll set yourself up for success. Yes, you may fail, but if you prepare yourself to fail, that’s the only possible outcome.”
· Quote: “I’m not really a misanthrope. I’m a shut-in. Very different.” Hilarious.
· Quote: “I don’t want a relationship only on your terms.” YES, GIRL!
· Line: “Money doesn’t buy happiness, but poverty buys a heck of a lot of misery.” This line hits so hard for those of us who were raised in poverty. I felt this in my soul.
· Quote: “I’m thankful for old elevators.”
· Quote: “I’m prettier in the dark.” SOBS.
· Quote: “I was terrified and said I’d fall flat on my face. And he said he’d catch me if I did.” The full-circle moment here nearly took me out. Tears.
· Quote: “You’re so much more than anything I’ve ever done for you, or anything I could ever do for you.”
· Quote: “I want to be happy, but I don’t want to be rudderless. I want my boat to go somewhere…with purpose.”
· Vienna—just… every mention of it. It’s one of my favorite songs, so the whole Vienna tie-in is just lovely.
· The support group. The Zoloft. The light the author is spreading on the reality of mental health and necessary supports, both medical and emotional. All of it. Loved it.
· Omg. Erik called Rafe to come to the hospital… how beautiful.
· “Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.” TOOK ME OUT.

Honestly, I could rave about this one until I’m blue in the face.

This is one I will always look back on fondly.

A personal note to the author—where in the world have you been hiding? Really, you were perfect.

…okay. Now I’m back in my POTO-obsessed era.

Where do I start? I’m not much of a romance reader, but I feel I ought to be because I can’t not read stories like this. I am a huge POTO enthusiast, I’ve seen the musical many times, I listen to the cast recordings daily, I’ve read the original book thousands of times, so I am knowledgeable when it comes to Gastón Leroux’s novel.

I was a bit skeptic when I requested this ARC, fearing it would be another The Phantom of Manhattan/Love Never Dies fiasco. And boy, was I wrong!!

This book is exactly what it promises to be, a magnificent retelling of a tragic story now turned romance. I have always been torn between The Phantom and Raoul, and it was very interesting to read a novel with a different outcome than the original.

I love how the idea was developed and executed, the characters were very interesting to read, overall I believe this was a very good book. I do find myself reading it again sometime soon. If you like POTO, I am sure you will enjoy this book.

If you love Phantom of the Opera but wished Erik and Christine had a happier ending, this book is for you.

I think Morton did a wonderful job retelling this story. The tragic characters with their struggles are still there but they are actually worked on and acknowledged. I really liked how well developed the characters were and the attention to detail. I thought the romance was well paced and built up to nicely.

I also liked that the hero's disfigurement was not fleeting. The author is very direct about it. He is who he is and the heroine accepts him which is beautiful to read. I appreciated that the heroine also had issues of her own that she was struggling with. These two had personal journeys to go through while also finding love with each other.

I do think this was a bit lengthy at times and some of the transitions could have been smoother, but otherwise I liked the writing.

If you like the musical, definitely give this book a try!