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lucypoppleton6's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
I want to start off by saying that this book is not close to Last Night at the Telegraph Club. It is marketed as a companion, but it only briefly touches on Kath and Lily’s story.
The book tells the story of 18 year-old Aria Tang West in the summer between high school and college. It is definitely a coming of age story as she explores her sexuality (it’s not clear if she’s bi or lesbian). But what holds this book back is the fact that she is involved in an affair. Both Aria and Steph (her grandmother’s gardener) know that Steph is dating someone else, yet they choose to cheat even without Steph breaking up with her girlfriend first. It’s messy, and not in a good way.
The better relationships in the story are between Aria and her family and high school friends. I loved her relationship with her grandmother through art and with her friend Tasha as they come out to each other.
Also, the historical aspect of the book could be explored better. The book barely mentions the legalization of gay marriage or homophobia at all. It seems like it is just thrown in the description as a premise without being addressed in the book.
The book tells the story of 18 year-old Aria Tang West in the summer between high school and college. It is definitely a coming of age story as she explores her sexuality (it’s not clear if she’s bi or lesbian). But what holds this book back is the fact that she is involved in an affair. Both Aria and Steph (her grandmother’s gardener) know that Steph is dating someone else, yet they choose to cheat even without Steph breaking up with her girlfriend first. It’s messy, and not in a good way.
The better relationships in the story are between Aria and her family and high school friends. I loved her relationship with her grandmother through art and with her friend Tasha as they come out to each other.
Also, the historical aspect of the book could be explored better. The book barely mentions the legalization of gay marriage or homophobia at all. It seems like it is just thrown in the description as a premise without being addressed in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Rape, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
There are a couple of sex scenes between Aria and Steph, along with memories of times Aria had sex with boys.