I avoided this book for a while because I thought I would hate it, and then I randomly picked this up earlier today and could not put it down.

I don't usually read just plain romance--I, quite honestly, don't have the patience for it. Comes with being ace, I suppose. But every now and then I do enjoy a good cheesy, sappy romance and this was just so completely that and more. Just. Their letters. And the banter. And /them/, gah.

The first 15%ish was my favorite--just them getting to know each other, and messing with each other. Loved it. After their first kiss, they get really horny tho lol. There are a /lot/ of sex scenes? I don't read much adult, so maybe the amount is normal, but. I skipped a lot cause I just don't like reading them. But, again: I'm an asexual. What can I say?

So if you want a dear, fun, sappy gay romance with posh nerds waxing poetically as they navigate love through long-distance and press, look no further.

Also, just ... the Great Turkey Calamity. That is the best part of the book. I could not stop cackling. (And, to be fair to Alex, turkeys are quite terrifying. Especially males. Their throats do this pounding thump when they gobble, like some kind of distant, hollow drum beat. Scares the best of us.)

And now, for some really stellar quotes that show McQuiston knows what's up:

"Straight people, he thinks, probably don’t spend this much time convincing themselves they’re straight."

"I gathered that he was not surprised to discover I am not the heterosexual heir I’m supposed to be, but rather surprised that I do not intend to keep pretending to be the heterosexual heir I’m supposed to be."

**MILDLY SPOILERY QUOTE**

"It’s right on the table between them: an offer. Keep ignoring it. Pretend it was a lie. Make it all go away.
Henry grits his teeth.
“It’s real,” he says. “All of it.”

Those last two quotes get at the heart of this book--the courage it takes to step up and live life as you really are, instead of playing the role you've been given. And that's such an important message.