4.5 stars 
 CoHo has such a gift for writing that this story is incredibly well-threaded and her storytelling style so captivating. She has a way of crafting her characters so realistically, as if she just plucks two people from somewhere in the world to tell you their love story. They are average people living their lives trying to deal with their own struggles. 
 Many writers write the male lead sizzling hot, to a point where he's unattainable (and sometimes unbelievable). But I find Owen so real. I think more than his attractiveness, what makes him swoon-worthy is his selflessness and optimism. He sees joy and pain and shows Auburn understanding while giving her the liberty to make her decisions. With this book, I didn't need a description of perfectly chiseled abs or rock hard body to root for him. 
 I loved how the theme of painting is blended through the story. It's like watching an artist paint these two characters on a canvas, each with their own colors and complicated layers. We see the brushstrokes as each layer gets painted, adding to their individual stories, and as the story progresses, reveal their special connection to each other. At the end of the book, we see a brilliant picture of their past and interconnectedness. 
 "I rarely feel that any of my paintings ever make it to a finishing point. There's always something else I want to add to them, like a few more brushstrokes or another color. But there comes a point with every painting when I just have to stop and accept it for what it is." 
 I didn't give it a full 5 stars because I felt that the end could have been stronger. (I hate that I set the bar so high for CoHo, but it's only because I love her books so much!) There was still one confession I thought should have been made but didn't. While I know that their story continues after the book ends, I still felt uneasy about that hidden confession.