btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Drug use
jessicaludden's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
“‘Crush’ is too weak a word to describe how I feel. It doesn’t do you justice, but maybe it works for me. I am the one who is crushed. I’m crushed that we have only ever regarded each other as enemies…”
This was fine. It felt like there was a lot going on, but also nothing at all? I didn’t particularly care about the characters that much. The stakes of the scavenger hunt game weren’t very high so at times it felt boring and dragged on. Rowan had a lot going on and while some people could say that makes her a complex character, I just think it became distracting and too much to keep up with. There were many things she would say out of nowhere and then just not follow up with. If it was that important for her character you’d think there would be more depth, but it felt more like she was just listing her personality traits. This book was super cheesy and the pop culture references were a little much at times. I did think it was funny at some points, mostly cringey, but it did make me laugh a few times. It felt very fast, which is of course because it only takes place in one day, but I’ve read much better books with that same time constraint. It also ended really weirdly. I wasn’t expecting the ending to go on for as long as it did and I thought the ending would be a little more ambiguous than it was. What almost slightly redeemed this for me was Neil’s note to Rowan in her yearbook. I knew it was gonna be cute, but I really wasn’t expecting it to be THAT romantic. That’s probably the only thing I really enjoyed about this book if I’m being honest. Overall, it just wasn’t for me and it’s not even that it’s a YA book set in high school. It’s the characters and the plot. I can see how it would be good for other people, but I’m not one of them.
Favorite Quotes:
“Neil McNair has become my alarm clock, if alarm clocks had freckles and knew all your insecurities.”
“Until I met McNair, I didn’t know patience could feel like a physical piece of me, something he stretches and twists whenever he has a chance.”
“Yet here’s someone I labeled as an enemy who was maybe feeling isolated in the same way.”
“He studies me for a long moment, as though I am a sentence he’s trying to translate into another language.”
“The things that mattered to us for the past four years will shift and evolve, and I imagine they’ll keep doing that forever. It’s terrifying.”
“And whether that makes us friends or just two people who were supposed to meet somewhere but got lost along the way.”
“Neil is softer than I realized, and I’m a barbed-wire fence. Every time he gets too close, I make myself sharper.”
“When he grins, it’s bright enough to light up the night sky. It’s kind of beautiful.”
“‘You like being infuriated. By me.’”
“The fantasy: that my perfect high school boyfriend would be the epitome of romance. The reality: Neil McNair has been here all along.”
“I’ve devoted the past four years to leaving Seattle, but you… You are the best thing about this city. You are going to be the hardest to leave.”
“I’ve given this boy the messiest parts of me, and he’s done nothing but convince me he’ll be careful with them.”
This was fine. It felt like there was a lot going on, but also nothing at all? I didn’t particularly care about the characters that much. The stakes of the scavenger hunt game weren’t very high so at times it felt boring and dragged on. Rowan had a lot going on and while some people could say that makes her a complex character, I just think it became distracting and too much to keep up with. There were many things she would say out of nowhere and then just not follow up with. If it was that important for her character you’d think there would be more depth, but it felt more like she was just listing her personality traits. This book was super cheesy and the pop culture references were a little much at times. I did think it was funny at some points, mostly cringey, but it did make me laugh a few times. It felt very fast, which is of course because it only takes place in one day, but I’ve read much better books with that same time constraint. It also ended really weirdly. I wasn’t expecting the ending to go on for as long as it did and I thought the ending would be a little more ambiguous than it was. What almost slightly redeemed this for me was Neil’s note to Rowan in her yearbook. I knew it was gonna be cute, but I really wasn’t expecting it to be THAT romantic. That’s probably the only thing I really enjoyed about this book if I’m being honest. Overall, it just wasn’t for me and it’s not even that it’s a YA book set in high school. It’s the characters and the plot. I can see how it would be good for other people, but I’m not one of them.
Favorite Quotes:
“Neil McNair has become my alarm clock, if alarm clocks had freckles and knew all your insecurities.”
“Until I met McNair, I didn’t know patience could feel like a physical piece of me, something he stretches and twists whenever he has a chance.”
“Yet here’s someone I labeled as an enemy who was maybe feeling isolated in the same way.”
“He studies me for a long moment, as though I am a sentence he’s trying to translate into another language.”
“The things that mattered to us for the past four years will shift and evolve, and I imagine they’ll keep doing that forever. It’s terrifying.”
“And whether that makes us friends or just two people who were supposed to meet somewhere but got lost along the way.”
“Neil is softer than I realized, and I’m a barbed-wire fence. Every time he gets too close, I make myself sharper.”
“When he grins, it’s bright enough to light up the night sky. It’s kind of beautiful.”
“‘You like being infuriated. By me.’”
“The fantasy: that my perfect high school boyfriend would be the epitome of romance. The reality: Neil McNair has been here all along.”
“I’ve devoted the past four years to leaving Seattle, but you… You are the best thing about this city. You are going to be the hardest to leave.”
“I’ve given this boy the messiest parts of me, and he’s done nothing but convince me he’ll be careful with them.”
Minor: Racism and Sexual content
riyket75's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
OMG this book is LITERALLY AMAZING!!!!!
Moderate: Racism
mswarning's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Antisemitism
Minor: Violence and Sexual content
yade's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Car accident, Cursing, Drug use, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content
jenna_justi2004's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My new favorite author
Graphic: Antisemitism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
dorogaya's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
as a brunette high achieving academic, yeah <3 thought about the characters for weeks AND i love kirby because she’s khmer and i’m khmer and we’re khmer <333 i love this book it was a fun rollercoaster and just AH beautiful wonderful masterpiece call it what you want
Moderate: Racism and Antisemitism
kclikesthings's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Racism, and Sexual content
lilyrose_'s review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Racism
light_stpierre's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Racism