The writing was great, and I was enjoying the time jumps from the present to the past, but then stuff got very clunky at the end. I was so incredibly disappointed by the last 40 pages of this novel.

Like all of a sudden, relationships were being repaired instantaneously, which was absurd after how caustic and hostile the characters often were toward each other. It really bothered me that we just get told by Akash that he and Renu revealed their secrets to each other. Ummm, why not actually write out those scenes instead of “And then my mom told me all about being in love with some other dude and now I’m not afraid of our mad at her even though she’s been hostile to me basically my entire life?!” Like FOR REAL?! 

And Akash just suddenly giving up drinking in the middle of the book like that’s supposed to be something easy? That was handled so unrealistically. He was clearly an alcoholic throughout the present day arc, and then he just decided to quit on a whim and was successful. Right. Sure. That felt too jarring and so did Akash making up with Bijal and Renu at the snap of a finger. Oh, not to mention Parth being all blase about Akash fucking punching him in high school instead of standing up for him. Like I’m not saying that would’ve been easy when Akash was tired of not belonging and also possibly being outed, but STILL. Parth just saying it was water under the bridge cuz they were young when it happened was such a letdown.