Will and Rosie meet as teenagers.

They’re opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother’s wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer—destined to be one another’s great love story.

Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.

But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can’t help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.

What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can’t let go?

Sometimes, a book comes along that touches you in unexpected ways. This was that book for me. I picked up this book one day on a discount table at Barnes & Noble, brought it home, put it on my shelf, and then forgot about it. I randomly picked it up the other day and am so happy I did. The reading experience was similar to the one I had when reading Jandy Nelson’s “I’ll Give You the Sun.” Both books are about twins falling for the same boy, and while Nelson’s book was deeply affecting, this one was even more so.

This novel chronicles the decades-spanning relationship between Will and Rosie, two teenagers who strike up an unlikely friendship one evening when Rosie’s twin brother, Josh, introduces them. Rosie is a good girl from a good home, while Will has never met his mother, lives with his grandmother, and has a bit of a bad reputation around town. It starts at a bonfire, but then, as days go by, the two find themselves connecting more at school and eventually strike up a very sweet friendship where they spend a lot of time together, sharing their deepest, darkest thoughts well into the night.

As one would guess, attraction blossoms between the two, but when Josh admits to Rosie that he has a crush on Will, she knows she could never cross that line and hurt him, so she keeps Will at arm’s length. When tragedy strikes, it forces all of them apart, but over the years, Will and Rosie’s paths continue to cross, their connection and attraction as strong as ever, yet never able to completely connect the way they both would like.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Both Rosie and Will are beautifully flawed; their struggles and decisions are so achingly human that they felt like people I know. I felt their pain, their longing, and their grief. I so desperately wanted them to get together, but at the same time, I understood what kept them apart.

Daverley’s writing is nothing short of beautiful. Her prose has an almost cinematic quality, painting vivid scenes that firmly planted me into the scenes with the characters. What I loved most was how the author balanced the joys of connection with the ache of separation, creating a narrative that felt alive with emotion.

The novel’s structure—spanning years and weaving between past and present—adds to its emotional complexity. When we first meet the characters, they are seniors in high school, but by the time we’ve reached the end, they are well into their 30s. The pacing is perfect, neither too fast nor too slow, allowing the story to breathe while keeping readers invested. Even the time jumps felt natural, and I never felt as though I’d missed anything when we jumped years ahead.

I think what will make this book so memorable for me is its quiet honesty. This is not a story of grand gestures or perfect endings; it’s a story about real people making honest mistakes and grappling with the consequences. It’s about the kind of love that isn’t always easy but feels inevitable, the type that leaves a mark no matter how much time passes. The only reason this didn’t get a full 5 stars was because the author didn’t use quotation marks. I seriously hate this!

In the end, I found this to be a deeply moving novel that captures the complexities of love and loss with grace and authenticity. For anyone who has ever loved someone they couldn’t quite have, or for those who cherish stories that linger in their hearts long after the last page, this book is a must-read.