THIS BOOK WAS…EVERYTHING!!!
This is the YA sapphic romance I NEEDED as a high schooler. If I had had this, maybe I wouldn’t have read so much fanfiction. It has all the best tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, basketball-player-and-cheerleader pairing, and some others I won’t spoil ;). The romance had me squealing with delight and looking like a maniac on my morning walk.
But this is more than a romance!! There are also huge themes of learning what it means to get over someone and heal from a bad relationship, which is so important for teens–especially sapphics!! It can often feel like LGBTQ relationships are supposed to be utopian and this book said nope! We have bad relationships and heartbreak like everyone else! This journey of healing is so, so, so important to see in a YA book and I know it will impact many young readers.
This book was also FUNNY. I was laughing out loud at some points. It perfectly captured the humor of high schoolers, which can flip from jokes about bad breath to good sex in seconds. I also appreciated the family dynamics in this book which felt so accurate. Most YA books feature either way too hands-off parents or parents that are way too involved, and this struck the perfect balance. Overall, this was such a sweet book that perfectly captured the nostalgia, drama, and growth that happens over senior year of high school. The side characters also SLAPPED!! Scottie and Irene’s respective best friends growing closer–I want THEIR story !
In conclusion, I love this book and am in awe of Kelly Quindlen–I cannot wait to read more of her work!!
All Booked Bailey 