5 Stars
A stunning page-turner!
The first thing that drew me in was the "tense" of the story. Yes, it started out with tension and regret, and even waking up to see the world for the first time, but it's told in "present" tense, which is not as common as one may think. The tense of the story makes a big difference in how the story was told and how it was put together, and if written in another form, it would make for a different story. This works. The only point when it's past tense, is when it's focusing on the past, especially when telling the backstory for different characters. First, the writing was wonderfully put together, and it weaved a masterful story, with complex and deep characters. I enjoyed Kyndall. Yes, she was controlling and wanted to get to the White House one way or another, but she was powerful in her own right, and knew what she wanted. From the moment she (as a young poor girl) was in her glory about her "shiny black shoes" that she could only wear when it rained (because they were special occasion shoes), I knew her strive to succeed, even if on the tails of her husband or son was impacted by her childhood. Kyndall seems to have many layers, and most of them, not so good. I liked how the characters were deeply interconnected, and there was more than one secret to reveal, and though it was about Emily, it was about the entire cast of characters. The backstory for each character added a depth to them. I liked how It's one of those stories that will make you say, "aha," or "oh, no," or even "oh, my..." out loud and then keep reading. This book is highly recommended!