Update 07/02/2025: Wow I really agree with everything I said last time, except WHY DIDN’T I LIKE QUINN RILEY? SHE IS ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVES NOW AND IS A BIG PART OF WHY I LOVE THIS BOOK!

This isn’t perfect. Some of the dialogue is a bit wooden and unnatural (mostly from side characters, not the two mains). Sometimes the discussions of politics felt unnatural. The consistent use of the q-slur (up to six times in a single sentence!) was frustrating.

However, I’m still giving it five stars because the good stuff overwhelms the bad stuff. It was long, but it felt necessary to flesh out both characters and give a real backstory to their relationship, making it feel real and not forced. I love that both main characters have fully rounded relationships with other characters and both are dealing with issues, which are given equal weight. I love the ADHD rep.

I love that one character gets hyper fixated on reading femslash fanfics of characters the other has played! I cried when she took her to her wife’s grave.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the audiobook narrator.

Despite the issues, I absolutely loved this book.