" It's interesting because I just re-read all of the reviews for this book and everyone just LOVED the book. And, well, I did not love this book. I even feel conflicted about giving it 3 stars. I think it's a very well written book. It's a very readable book. And personally, I really enjoyed *all* of the cast of characters EXCEPT the two main characters: Matt and Eliza. To be honest, I hated them. Matt I found patronizing and rude and a horrible husband and, yes, a horrible father (refusing to set boundaries, playing off his wife against his daughter, and more). Eliza starts out as a strong, beautiful woman who quickly lets a man turn her into a weak woman who doesn't even closely resemble the woman she wanted to spend her life being. How can any female writer enjoy reading a book about such characters? They basically play off each other's weaknesses and destroy each other. Thankfully the author is such a good writer that the rest of the cast of characters are a joy to read, and there are plenty stories surrounding them to make the rest of the book enjoyable (Matt's coworkers, his sister, Eliza's first serious boyfriends, some of her work friends, etc.). So I would leave it up to the individual on whether they'd want to read this book or not. I don't regret reading the book, because it is a well-written book (and I have read many poorly written books that I DO think were a waste of time, this book was not a waste of time). But I was/am just SO frustrated by the main characters... that I truly can't understand why so many people loved the book and rated it so highly. "
— Kristin, 2/10/2014