This is a 3.5 rounded up due to the extreme character growth and complex topics. I was torn on this as I hated Jeanie so much initially And found Maya one dimensional. Ryder was the most likable character. I found as the story developed, the characters grew and changed and my opinions of them shifted. I wish we had flashbacks of the past from other perspectives and more of Judge’s sisters. I really enjoyed the emotional growth and timely racial commentary. I liked the love story and wish there was more development there. The cover cleverly tied in to Alston’s spoken word poem which was incredibly clever. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read and review it early. I am so glad to read a complex multi-racial chick lit which doesn’t end all neatly and really shows the messy bits of life. I would happily read this author again in the future.