So this book ended up really surprising me. I waited to read this book for awhile, because there was just so much hype around it and I want to let that settle down before I picked it up in case it didn't live up to my expectations.

And I have to be honest: I wasn't super obsessed with the first 150 pages or so. The writing is very poetic and metaphorical, which is beautiful to read, but can be difficult to follow at times when you are trying to get immersed into a world and connect with the characters.

I also had trouble with how long the chapters were. It alternates between Jude and Noah's perspectives, and I found myself getting a little bored. The pacing was just a little slow for me.

Once I got further into the story, however, I found myself really invested in it. The way Jandy Nelson wove both perspectives/time periods together was really nice. And her flowery writing grew on me and I didn't have any trouble following the story.

I liked both of the main characters, but I definitely preferred Jude. She's quirky, determined, and sometimes exasperating. I like her romance with Oscar. I felt like this book did the whole 'fates love' thing better than 'The Sun in Also a Star'. Even though it was a little insta-lovey, it was also given time to progress.

I liked Noah as well, more in the future timeline than the past. I had a lot of issues with his perspective because I kept reading him as much older than he was supposed to be. Nelson's writing in his voice is incredibly poetic and metaphorical and his thoughts just do not sound like the thoughts of a 13 year old boy. I also didn't really like that he is so incredibly judgmental of everyone but we are supposed to sympathize with him because he's being bullied. I wish I could've gotten a couple of pages from his perspective in the future timeline, maybe his reunion with Brian.

I liked the interaction between Noah and Jude quite a bit. All of their games -- Who would you save?, divvying up the world, etc. -- I just wish there had been more scenes of them together.

This family was pretty dysfunctional, to be honest. Jude and Noah are very reactionary people who do horrible, destructive things to each other. Their mother and father clearly don't belong together, and their relationships with their children are not super healthy either. It seems like their mother is putting all of her hopes and dreams of being a successful artist on her kids, who just want her approval. And their father is mostly absent.

All in all, I did not love this book as much as other people did. But I did think it was really solid and the last half was excellent. There were several times in this book where I would be reading and then realize I had a big stupid grin on my face because it was so good.