Sutton is back in her hometown to take care of her grumpy, ailing mom. When she runs into her best friend from childhood, Tara, she gets dragged into a bet. She and another stranger are going to pretend to be engaged and go to couples therapy. If the therapist guesses they aren’t a real couple her friend’s fianceé will agree to go to his own couple’s therapy with Tara. Sutton and Elijah head to their first therapy session as strangers but come out knowing a little bit more about each other and a homeworks from the therapist. As they continue to attend these sessions Sutton and Elijah seem to only be proving one thing this true connection forming between them is threatening to unravel everything Sutton thought she knew about family, friendship, and her own heart.

You can rely on Kasie West to create characters that you can identify with, draw you in, and make you think “yes! I have felt the same way”. When I read this story I could totally identify with Sutton and her situation. She and her mom don’t have the best relationship. Her mom’s injury makes her grumpy, but she’s always been very critical of Sutton’s choices in life. As Sutton goes through her therapy sessions with Elijah she uses some of what’s she’s learning about herself to deal with her issues with her mom too. Lesson learned? Therapy is good!

Elijah was a sweetheart. Adorable, friendly, flirty, but he also seemed to care a lot about Sutton as the novel moved forward. There was some great chemistry between the two of them and despite all of the things they are both dealing with in their lives, they connect on a real level. The author’s portrayal of their story was so seamless that I sped through this novel relishing the way it ended. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGally for an honest review and it was honest!

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