★★☆ 4 Stars ☆★★Wow! I’m already a huge Sigal Ehrlich fan having loved her Stark books, but this standalone, Retrace has solidified even more why I am and will continue be a huge fan. I will read everything she publishes!God, this book was amazing! So emotionally consuming, but at the same time laced with a perfect balance of humor and wit. Retrace is the story of Nia and Reeves.Both coping; attempting to live life after facing traumatic incidents that have affected them so profoundly they each decide a new start is needed.For Nia, this means leaving her home country of Brazil, choosing distance and solitude to cope and hopefully move on.For Reeves, this means therapy, relying on the idea of revenge as well as going though the motions of day-to-day life trying to suppress his anger and an all-consuming guilt.Nia and Reeves are going thought the motions of their new attempt on living alone and mildly happy until a complete mix up happens resulting in Nia and Reeves meeting in a rather compromising way, well for Nia at least anyway.What follows after this chance meeting are HUGE sparks, along with an intense connection accompanied with some crazy sexual chemistry and pure hotness! This amazing coincidence of their meeting makes one believe that fate really does have some magical powers when it wants too. Because for Nia and Reeves a divine intervention in the form of each other is just what they need! God, I love it!Watching Nia and Reeves move from their grief stricken past, to a place where they can live and be happy was awe inspiring and beautiful. Especially because they do it together! I just loved these two; so expertly written you cannot help but love Nia and Reeves, let me tell ya!Following them through the phases of friends to lovers, was magical!From friends, to friends with benefits, to ahh what are we doing, to wait…uhmm maybe I think “I love you” was just perfect. Then top it all off with some uuubbbeeer hot sex scenes, ya I was in book heaven. I couldn’t stop reading!Of course, there are a ton of ups and downs, one chick that I just wanted to reach in and punch, followed by times where I wanted to toss my kindle and then the times where I was stressing right the fuck out about what the hell was going to happen. But in the end we are given the ending we NEED Nia and Reeves to have! Reeves and Nia are both dealing with painful losses. When an accidental hotel room mixup puts them together, they can't seem to resist the attraction they both feel towards each other. I so loved both of these people who were on the threshold of moving forward in their lives and were only able to start healing together. My heart broke for Mia when she shares her story with Reeves and then again when she breaks down in the shower and seeks him out for comfort. My heart also broke for Reeves when he had his last conversation with Ben. I loved that they pulled each other out of the darkness and back into the light where they could begin to live again.I give Retrace 5 hearts!
