Ever since her mother was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, Jess has kept her burdens to herself, only letting a few people know. And when she tests positive for the disease herself, she knows she should share her struggles, what it’s like watching her mother’s condition deteriorate, knowing she will face the same fate. But she doesn’t.
One rule that Jess has set for herself is don’t fall in love. So when Alec, the bartender at the local pub, expresses an interest in her, she can’t allow it. Sure, he’s handsome (despite the beard), funny, and kind, and she can’t stop thinking about him. But she knows it won’t end well—it can’t—so why start?
Of course, they run into each other constantly. So when Jess tells Alec about her mother’s condition (not hers), he proposes an arrangement: date him for one month. Let her actually live her life and have fun for the first time in so long. But they cannot fall in love.
The time spent with Alec is amazing, and to no one’s surprise, they fall for each other. But what will happen if Alec finds out about her diagnosis? She wouldn’t want him to stand by her out of obligation, or worse, abandon her. So it’s best she break it off before things get too serious. Right?
This is definitely a moving story, although it didn’t destroy me as much as I expected. The challenge that I had was that I really didn’t like the way Jess treated Alec. She was really mean in the way she pushed him away and sent him mixed messages. At one point in the book, she asks him why he’s interested in her. I wondered the same thing.
