Okay, so I just finished 'The Second Life of Mirielle West' and wow - this book took me on a JOURNEY. At first I hated Mirielle (like, really hated her), but by the end I was ugly-crying into my pillow at 2am.

The writing is GORGEOUS - you can practically smell the Louisiana air and feel the heartbreak of Carville. Some chapters I had to put down just to process everything. That scene with the Christmas oranges? Destroyed me.

PSA: Don't read this if you want something light! It's heavy but so worth it. The historical details about leprosy treatment blew my mind - I kept googling facts because I couldn't believe this was real history.

Small complaint: My paperback arrived with pages falling out (thanks Amazon quality control). But the story itself? Chef's kiss. Already recommending it to my book club!