Oh my god you guys, let me gush about this book real quick.
I usually roll my eyes at overused tropes in romance or in YA, but the author did such a good job using them here (also everytime I read or watch romance stuff and that boombox scene from Say Anything’s mentioned I just start to automatically gag, it’s a condition, but the Author only mentioned it as a reference here and we don’t get to see that scene being recreated!).
I loved all of the characters, I loved that Charlie’s friendship circle is massive (she has her inner circle, then she’s friends with a bunch of other people, and we get to see her interacting with them and her cousins too?! I feel like i’m in heaven, the bar’s that low, because I don’t usually see this type of thing being done in YA), I love that the dumb fuckboy was discarded immediately a few chapters into the book instead of it turning into a nastea love triangle. I thought that Charlie and Brian were incredibly cute together and I loved the progression of their relationship!
I also thought that the teenagers here feel realistic and the best part is the characters talk! They actually talk to each other and solve their problems by communicating! Again, the bar’s on the floor, but we love to see it! We get to see THREE, i mean THREE POC Main characters, lesbian moms, pan representation, body-positivity, and cute relationships to boot?! Mom! I love it here!
This book’s just really sweet and lovely and I really can’t recommend it enough!