""I think that's pretty standard protocol, before embarking on a fake-dating relationship."
He tilted his head. "Standard protocol?"
"Yup."
"How many times have you done this?"
"Zero. But I am familiar with the trope.""

It finally happened!! I read the Reylo fanfiction!! And I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would!! This book was fun, engaging, and a delightful spin on one of my favorite tropes ever!!

Of course, as always, I really enjoyed all the characters - they felt very well-rounded, and I cared about every single one of them, including Ahn (who I absolutely ADORE) and Malcolm. The stand-out was, of course, Olive, because I was able to see so much of myself in her, in spite of not being a scientist. I deeply related to her not-good-enough feelings, and I understood exactly where she was coming from with being unwilling to let anyone get close to her, because in the past, she got burned by the same thing and got left behind. The science part felt like the only thing that we didn’t have in common, and it’s always incredible when a book makes you feel this seen!

Her friendship with Ahn was also SUCH a stand-out - it’s always a little bittersweet for me to read about characters who’ve found their “person”, and my longing seems like it’ll never stop, but it’s also heartwarming, and beautiful, and just proves that true friendship is a unique kind of magic that can’t be replaced with anything else 😭

I also really - and again, I didn’t expect to - but I really loved Adam’s character! In spite of his angsty, unapproachable exterior (and if you know me, you will know that I live for that stuff and would’ve fallen ever harder than Olive did), he also had dimension, and his attitude towards his work was something I was really impressed by, regardless of the fact that he sometimes struggles to express it accurately.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the fact that Ali didn’t shy away from portraying the misogyny that can plague STEM. Of course, I’m not speaking as someone with any experience in the matter, but this is still a world where women (especially BIPOC women), have to work thrice as hard to get half as far, in any field. I was very happy to see Olive stand up for herself and not let Tom off the hook for what he did, and I think that these are conversations that are extremely important and very much worth having, which is why I’m glad that this book handles it perfectly.

In terms of the plot, I really liked that it felt very real at all times. Some fake-dating tropes that I’ve read in the past seem to come completely out of the blue, but in this case, I feel like it was done justice. Both Olive and Adam have motives that feel adequately realistic, and I appreciated that both had their own reasons for starting their relationship. Similarly, their breakup doesn’t happen just because there needs to be angst before the happily ever after - it happens because of a very tangible, very scary thing that Olive is going through, and because she thinks that being out of his life for good will protect Adam. As misguided as it is, yes, we understand her reasons perfectly, and that’s what makes it all the more grounded. The story felt fresh, and I thoroughly enjoyed how the plot unfolded!

Now, I did have some minor gripes with it. The miscommunication trope also rears its ugly head, though I think that in this instance it’s not as bad as it could’ve been, because Olive drawing all the wrong conclusions was ultimately consistent with who she is at her core - I’d have done the exact same thing. I also read the words “large, big, tall” and their various iterations more times than I can count, and we get it, he’s huge, you’re not even that short, Olive, talk to me when you’re 5 feet tall at 25 and will never grow more!!! But again, personally, I can excuse this - because every person I’ll date, if I ever do, will feel massive to me 😅

All in all, this was a total feel-good read for me, and I’m very excited to see what Ali comes up with next and pick up her next books!!