It's more of a 4.5 than a 4. I loved both the characters and was impressed at the journeys Spencer set them on. Lying, selfish, impulsive Anna Reardon grows one way while patient, hard-working, honest Karl Lindstrom grows yet another. Their paths mirrored each other as we got to see the many surprising layers of Karl and Anna.

It flirted with a five-star rating. It's a character-focused and character-driven story, which I just adore, but it still had its moments of too transparent plot machinations that popped the magic bubble and reminded me I was reading a book.