What I Liked

• The emotional core. Grief, reinvention, friendship, and learning to move forward are handled with warmth and sensitivity.
• Veronica and Mariah’s friendship is the real heart of the novel. Their relationship grows naturally from an unlikely arrangement into genuine connection.
• The travel and food descriptions are beautifully atmospheric, particularly the Parsi cafés and the sections set in India and Morocco.
• The mystery surrounding Rachel’s unfinished project adds intrigue without completely overpowering the character-driven story.
• The themes of starting over are especially strong. Both women are forced to reconsider what they want after major losses.
• Henry’s presence adds a gentle romantic dimension and another character carrying his own emotional scars.

 What Didn’t Work

• The pacing can be slow, particularly through the middle of the journey. This is a recurring criticism among readers.
• Some readers found Veronica and Mariah difficult to like at first, with their flaws sometimes overshadowing their growth.
• The book occasionally has too many emotional threads competing for attention.
• Readers expecting Rachel’s story to be the primary narrative may be disappointed—the novel focuses much more heavily on Veronica and Mariah.
• The resolution can feel a little rushed after such a deliberate buildup.

 Characters

Veronica Barrington — ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

A recently divorced woman trying to rebuild her identity after years of defining herself through marriage and motherhood.

Her journey is less about suddenly becoming a different person and more about realizing she is allowed to want something for herself.

Mariah Ellsworth — ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Mariah is grieving her mother while also dealing with the end of her Olympic dreams following a devastating injury.

She’s complicated and sometimes frustrating, but that’s also what makes her growth meaningful. Her journey is about learning to live with loss rather than allowing it to completely define her.

Henry — ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

A former war photographer carrying his own trauma, Henry brings a quieter emotional presence to the story. His developing relationship with Veronica provides the book’s romantic element without overwhelming the central friendship.

Rachel Ellsworth

Although Rachel is absent from the contemporary storyline, her letters allow her past to gradually emerge. Her unfinished culinary project becomes the thread connecting the characters’ present journey to her complicated history.

 Romance & Chemistry Analysis

Romance/Chemistry: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The romance is secondary rather than the main event, so readers shouldn’t approach this expecting a conventional romance novel.

Veronica and Henry’s connection develops gently as they travel together and recognize the emotional wounds they each carry. Their relationship feels like an extension of the book’s larger theme: finding connection when you least expect it.

What makes the romance work is that it doesn’t overshadow the more important relationship between Veronica and Mariah.

 Tropes & Themes

•  Travel fiction
•  Unlikely friendship
•  Found family
•  Healing after loss
•  Starting over
•  Second chances
•  Family secrets
•  Letters from the past
•  Food and culinary culture
•  International journey
•  Reinvention
•  Gentle/secondary romance
•  Grief and healing

 Spice & Content Guide

Spice: 🌶️🌶️ / 5

This is not a high-spice romance. The romantic storyline is gentle and secondary to the women’s emotional journeys.

Content warnings

The story includes or discusses:

• Grief and death
• Divorce
• Trauma/PTSD
• Serious injury
• Suicide
• Infidelity
• Family conflict
• Weight/body-image concerns
• Sexual content
• War-related trauma

Some reader-generated content guides specifically flag sexual content and suicide, while the novel also explores significant trauma and loss.

 Pacing & Writing

Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

O’Neal’s writing is one of the book’s biggest strengths. Her sensory descriptions of food, cafés, landscapes, and cultures give the journey a vivid quality.

The downside is that the novel is deliberately paced. The middle can feel slower because the travelogue, character development, Rachel’s letters, and emotional storylines all compete for space.

So if you enjoy reflective women’s fiction, the pace should work. If you need constant plot movement, it may feel sluggish.

 Ending — Spoiler-Free

Hopeful, emotional, and satisfying, although somewhat rushed.

The ending brings the characters’ journeys toward a sense of renewed purpose and connection rather than offering a perfectly neat solution to every problem.

The emotional message is ultimately about moving forward without erasing the past.

 Who Should Read It?

This is a great choice if you enjoy:

•  Emotional women’s fiction
•  Stories centered around travel
•  Strong female friendships
•  Food and culinary storytelling
•  Multicultural settings
•  Family mysteries
•  Grief and healing
•  Starting over after divorce or loss
•  Gentle secondary romance
•  Character-driven stories

 Who Might Not Enjoy It?

You may want to skip it if you:

• Prefer fast-paced plots.
• Want romance to be the primary storyline.
• Need highly likable protagonists from the beginning.
• Don’t enjoy travelogue-style storytelling.
• Prefer a tightly focused mystery.
• Are uncomfortable with stories involving grief, suicide, trauma, or infidelity.

 Books Similar to It

** The Art of Inheriting Secrets — Barbara O’Neal**

A particularly good choice if you enjoyed the combination of family secrets, emotional discovery, and women uncovering the past.

** When We Believed in Mermaids — Barbara O’Neal**

Another O’Neal novel centered on trauma, family relationships, secrets, and emotional healing.

** The Lion Women of Tehran — Marjan Kamali**

A strong option if what you loved most was female friendship, cultural history, loss, and emotional resilience.

** The Fourth Daughter — Lyn Liao Butler**

A good fit for readers who want family secrets, identity, relationships, and emotional discovery.

 FAQ

Is this a romance?
Not primarily. It’s women’s fiction with a gentle secondary romance.

Is it a mystery?
There is a mystery surrounding Rachel’s past and unfinished work, but this isn’t a traditional thriller.

Is it spicy?
No. The romance is relatively low-spice compared with contemporary romance novels.

Is Rachel the main character?
No. The contemporary story primarily follows Veronica and Mariah, while Rachel’s letters reveal pieces of her past.

Is the book slow-paced?
It can be. Reader reactions vary, but slow or uneven pacing is one of the more common criticisms.

What is the main theme?
At its heart, it’s about healing, friendship, grief, reinvention, and finding purpose after life changes unexpectedly.

Is it emotional?
Very much so. Grief and recovery are central to both women’s stories.

 Final Rating

 Final Verdict

4.5/5 ⭐ — A beautifully emotional story about grief, friendship, travel, and finding the courage to begin again.

The friendship between Veronica and Mariah is the true star, while Henry adds a sweet romantic thread. O’Neal’s vivid descriptions of food and place make the international journey particularly enjoyable, and the mystery surrounding Rachel’s past gives the story another layer.

The slower pacing and occasionally frustrating characters keep it from being perfect, but the emotional payoff, character growth, atmosphere, and hopeful message make it a worthwhile read.

Best for readers who want a thoughtful, atmospheric women’s-fiction novel where the journey is just as important as the destination.