I received an ARC from Lake Country Press in exchange for a review; however, all opinions are my own.

THE SETTING

Modern-day Chicago, in a world where everything is literally gray and you only see color when you meet your soulmate with an identical soul mark as yours. Intriguing? Yes, it sure is.

It's not overtly fantasy or magical. There's no fairy dust or Ministries of Magic. It's just modern day, except people see color only if they're met their soulmates. That's it.

For a while, as she awaited her mark to appear, Brighton wondered if The Glimpse was the end to the gifts she'd be given; mark-less with the sight, but doomed to be without her other half.

THE CHARACTERS

The main character, Brighton Evans, is a walking rainbow, having grown up with The Glimpse her whole life, which allows her to see colors in an otherwise gray world. She is a perfectly balanced character--she is not too preppy, she gets understandably upset when she should be, and she has fears and apprehensions that a normal person would. She's relatable.

Alexandria "Andi" Whitaker is Brighton's childhood BFF and roommate, and a supportive bestie who has no qualms talking shit about Brighton's not-boyfriend to his face. I love her. We all need friends like her, and we need to listen to friends like her.

Cain Whitaker is Andi's cousin who grew up on the other side of the pond, but has moved to Chicago for work. Like Brighton, he also sees color but is mysteriously single (!!!) He's by far, the most understanding man I've ever read about. If he's jealous, he doesn't show it. And he's always a good friend to Brighton no matter what.

Gideon Baumgartner (and his phone) is Brighton's not-boyfriend, because this douche doesn't believe in marriage, commitment, or the icky terms boyfriend/girlfriend. I hate him, and he always pops up when no one asks for him to be there. But she is "happy enough" with him, so he's in this book. And because he's handsome, well-dressed, and has a good job, with an apartment on Lake Shore Drive, Brighton feels apprehensive to just dismiss him.

THE STORY

How do I start... Brighton and Cain have a meet-cute at the airport bar, and from then on it's a series of Fancy meeting you here's where our two protagonists dance around their obvious attraction for one another, but consistently fall back on their "we're just friends" excuse. It's maddening, but the sexual tension is a delicious slowburn, so count to ten as I did and be patient.

Brighton has this annoying thing where she is settling for a subpar man, who doesn't abuse her but doesn't give her the attention and love that she deserves. But she's been with him for years, so it's hard to step away and see the rest of the world, to look for her actual soulmate. But has she really settled?

With age and a bit of wisdom beneath her belt, Brighton decided there was love outside The Glimpse. There had to be. Otherwise, what kind of sad, pathetic existence would she have? Remain rudderless until that wow moment?

So--while she dressed from head to toe in a brilliant, eye-catching rainbow--Brighton kept her options open.

But the dashing Cain treating her better than her not-boyfriend, this is the shake-up that Brighton needs. Because homegirl has been doormat-ing for Gideon long enough.

MY THOUGHTS

I read this book in 5 hours straight because it's so easy to read, the story is compelling, and you just have to know what happens between Brighton and Cain. Will they, won't they? Will Andi roll up her sleeves and challenge Gideon to a duel? Will Brighton get the courage to move on from Gideon? Does Cain have a soul mark, and what is it? All these questions nagging at me to just finish the book in one sitting, so I did.

I'm not gonna lie, there were many times when I would roll my eyes or deeply sigh or lightly growl at Brighton for putting up with some things she shouldn't, but that's what makes her such an interesting character. She doesn't know everything, and she is scared of making the wrong move. She can be a bit cruel and selfish towards Andi, but that's what besties without filters are--they're honest about their feelings, and they understand each other, which makes Andi such a saint for putting up with a couple of the not nice behaviors from Brighton.

And Cain. The author really outdid herself with the sweetest, most lovable guy. You know how in some stories, when one of the main couple is dating someone else and the other is visibly upset or a teeny bit hostile--Cain is not like this at all. In fact, he goes out of his way to treat Brighton better without outright telling her "See? This is what a boyfriend should do!"

Although I do love when Cain puts Gideon in his place.

Cain held up his broad palm with an icy stare, stopping Gideon in his tracks with a tilt of his head, reaching out to help free Brighton from her not-boyfriend's.

"Oh, thanks mate, but actually, I was asking Brighton." His blue eyes shifted from Gideon to hers. Cain gave her a confident nod telling her to continue as the professor waited on bated breath for her answer.

There are so many emotions I could associate with this book, but here are two gifs that perfectly represent how I was in bed, in the dark, under the covers:



It's a rollercoaster of emotion within these 300+ pages, with an ending that's sure to have you reeling and nursing a book hangover for days.