With the idea of unpaid emotional labor becoming an increasingly hot topic in the zeitgeist, J.T. Tierney's SEEN AT LAST holds a sense of relevance that can't be denied. Grace intends to leave her marriage after feeling increasingly more attracted to a fellow therapist at work, but, as she expresses numerous times when pressed by other characters, the meat of her relationship with her husband is already gone. Being present physically isn't the same as being present in an emotional or mental sense. Marriage is a true partnership, especially when kids are involved, and money doesn't replace the investment of time and effort needed to keep a relationship healthy.

The two greatest strengths of SEEN AT LAST are its characters and the connections between them, even the dying one between Grace and her husband. He's not an abuser, not a cheater, and genuinely does seem to care about his family. His realization that maybe just being the absence of something worse doesn't actually make one a great partner runs beautifully parallel to Grace's realization that she does deserve more. The person was getting lost under the weight of her roles of mom, wife, and therapist. Despite the need for a change from that relatable type of drowning, Grace holds the relationships with her two children sacred. The kids are written well too, providing a perspective on the main character outside of the changing romantic landscape (even if they sometimes get in the way of her budding relationship).

Beyond the protagonist’s family, Allie serves as both the relationship and the person Grace is striving toward. Allie herself is separated and managing the family-across-multiple-households situation, so being in the same profession almost makes the two women mirrors of each other. Given those similarities, keeping the voices of each character separate can be a struggle; yet Tierney does a good job of making them seem complementary instead of blended.

A few errors at key moments can disconnect readers from the story, though. SEEN AT LAST is almost flawless in terms of story, but it has a few issues with typos and punctuation. The quantity isn't high, but the placement makes them more memorable. For example, one of the first romantic moments between Grace and Allie contains a mix up: "'We said we wouldn't–' Grace whispered. 'Not here.'" This is followed by "'We did,' Grace said, closing the remaining distance."

SEEN AT LAST does have a very sweet romantic subplot, but this is not a romance novel. The main focus is Grace's navigation toward a dissolution of marriage without dissolving her family, so readers who enjoy stories centered on likable characters and their personal journeys toward being happier should love Tierney's novel.

J.T. Tierney's SEEN AT LAST has volumes to say about the human condition, particularly from the female perspective.

~ Lisbeth Ivies for IndieReader