4.5 stars
I bought this on a whim because it was on sale and the cover is gorgeous, and never did I expect what the book would be. The writing was so beautiful at times, and the twist halfway through was something I never expected. It was so tender and beautiful, and my edition had extra content from the author at the end talking about what led to the writing of the book and that made it all the more special after having just finished the story. I cannot get her final explanation out of my head now, thinking about Hanne and Thea and the themes of love and family. "I am now married. My wife and I have since had two beautiful children, both born during the writing of this book. Devotion, in its articulation of music instead of silence, presence instead of absence, is very much a gift to my younger, queer, closeted self."
Since goodreads doesn't do halves, I'm leaving it at 4 stars for now but depending on the way this sits with me, I might raise it to 5 later.