This is not my favorite Deb Caletti thus far. I think it touched on some important topics, especially in relation to social media, but the narrative itself felt a bit all over the place. The main thing that sort of turned me away was the inclusion of so much reference to COVID, mostly because it's not exactly clear <i>when</i> in the actual pandemic this book is set. Is it present day? Earlier in the pandemic? There isn't enough consistency, and it made it harder for me to read.

While I appreciate exploring COVID in fiction, I think it's still too soon to do so. This is a personal opinion, but since I read fiction as an escape (for the most part), the explorations of the pandemic just felt too close to home for me. It was harder for me to get through the story overall.

That being said, I enjoyed the cast of characters and the way they create a family throughout the book. There are a lot of explorations of identity and how identity changes on social media, as well as the actual meaning of family. Harper isn't the most likeable character at the beginning of the book, but she learns a lot throughout the book, and I think there are teens that will definitely realte to that.

All in all, I am torn about this book. But it doesn't replace [book:A Heart in a Body in the World|38244389] for me. That's still my favorite from Deb Caletti.