This story surprised me. When I started out on the journey with Hannah and Seth, I thought it would be a new adult, second-chance love story set in college. It is that, but the deeper I got into the characters and the narrative, darker things began to emerge I hadn’t expected. I think it’s only fair to give you a heads up that what you might choose to read, and to opt out should the triggers be too much. Feel free to stop reading now to avoid any spoilers.
Those of you who need the warning, here goes.
If you’ve read The Ugly Truth, you already know what has happened to Seth. Both he and his mom have experienced the trauma of domestic violence at the hands of Seth’s father. In this story, Seth takes us back in time to some of those moments. These experiences aren’t offered in a way to glorify violence but are rather the means of Seth processing his trauma for healing.
In addition to that, at the onset of this story, Hannah and her ex-boyfriend, Sebastian, have broken up. It’s been several months, and we learn Hannah is dealing with the grief over the unexpected death of her father and suffering with survivor’s guilt. As the story progresses, the relationship Hannah shared with her ex-boyfriend offers anecdotes of the lovebomb, gaslighting, and narcissistic tendencies. While Hannah attempts to draw a line with Sebastian, he refuses to listen to her and his behavior escalates to an incident of assault.
Please know that my inclusion of these scenes aren’t to glorify or romanticize Sebastian’s behavior in any way, but rather to offer the portrait of an intelligent, young woman who might fall prey to the subversive way an abuser operates.
If you are experiencing violence against your person, please seek help immediately. Resources are listed in the back of the book.