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moonlitbooks's review
5.0
reread june 2021: this book is genuinely so good. I am so thankful for these characters and this story!
diiamorim's review
5.0
4.5
This book was really touching and beautiful.
I wanted to give it a straight 5 but I’m kinda mad at Tanner (whyyyyy chapter 17/18??? Whyyy!)
I really enjoyed the whole religious but gay conflict. I thought it was really well made and the bi rep was amazing.
This book was really touching and beautiful.
I wanted to give it a straight 5 but I’m kinda mad at Tanner (whyyyyy chapter 17/18??? Whyyy!)
I really enjoyed the whole religious but gay conflict. I thought it was really well made and the bi rep was amazing.
talli_approved's review
5.0
I literally couldn't put this down. I read in one sitting until I finished at 3am. The love story is delightful. Sebastian's religion is regarded in a very respectful and insightful way. Tanner's parents are the parents everyone should have, teaching you to consider decisions based on how the world is not how you wish it to be. Highly recommend to everyone, but particularly anyone who loves YA.
ochie_anne9's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? No
4.0
brokenrecord's review
4.0
4.5 stars. THIS WAS SO GOOD. To the point where I stayed up way later on a work night than I should've because I just had to finish it. From the description/reviews, I was worried it wouldn't be for me because of the instalove, because that's usually an automatic nope from me, but I'm really glad I gave it a chance because it worked so well for me here. I think it helped that even though Tanner was head over heels for Sebastian from the start, he had no reason to believe Sebastian would reciprocate, and the author just captured that feeling so well when you meet someone and you're so into them and you don't think they'll ever like you back so it's not really a serious thing, but you're just kind of obsessed with them in a fun way? You can only think about them and they just make you feel a lot and it's really nice, and reality doesn't have to matter. It just really reminded me of being a teenager, in a good way. So even though it was kind of instalove-y, it worked for me because I could relate to that feeling (and I don't usually relate to the instalove in romances otherwise) and that feeling was captured so well. And I just got really invested in Tanner and Sebastian's relationship. They were both cute and so into each other, and it was just really lovely.
Besides the romance, I also really liked Autumn and her friendship with Tanner, and I was really worried about how things were going to be handled with her, since she clearly had feelings for Tanner.
My biggest complaints were:
But anyways, I loved this a whole lot, and I'm so glad I took a chance at reading it even when I thought it might not be my thing.
Besides the romance, I also really liked Autumn and her friendship with Tanner, and I was really worried about how things were going to be handled with her, since she clearly had feelings for Tanner.
Spoiler
Them sleeping together made me very nervous, and I think I still would've preferred the story without that element, but it was still handled just about as well as it possibly could be.My biggest complaints were:
Spoiler
first of all, I know Sebastian was only a year older than Tanner and not an official teacher, but it was a little weird to me that no one seemed to care about Tanner dating his TA? Like, his parents only cared that Sebastian was LDS, but the fact that Sebastian was in a position of authority over Tanner and could have an impact on his grade was not a thing that literally anyone cared about. And then the other thing was just that the ending seemed a little fast. I believed in their relationship, but it also didn't seem like it would be smooth sailing from where things left off. I would absolutely read a sequel that dealt with them navigating being in an open relationship in the real world and Sebastian dealing with not being in the church anymore and being ostracized from his family and all that. It just seems like they have a lot of shit to still work through, and I'd be really interested in reading about it.But anyways, I loved this a whole lot, and I'm so glad I took a chance at reading it even when I thought it might not be my thing.
jaxauspdx's review
5.0
Adorable, snarky angsty queer teen coming of age and reckoning with his sexuality and the complications of being out.