Thank you so much to @coloredpagesbt @holidayhousebks @crystalwrote for the advance copy of the book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary ALC!

This book is out on May 13th, 2025.

I am such a fan of Crystal Maldonado that when I saw she was writing about a plus size character who is going on a road trip to see her favorite BOY BAND - say less, I'm there! If you do not already know, I am a fan girl through and through and love my share of boy bands. But this book is SO much more than our FMC Chloe love for them.

Chloe is a newly graduate and embarking on her 18th birthday. Things in her life are changing and she is just not sure she is ready to grow up yet. She loves nostalgia and with her favorite band Intonation doing a charity gig in Vegas, she has been doing a lot of reflecting on the past. Her father and stepmom gift her on stage (you read that right) tickets to see the band in Vegas there are only 2 people she would want by her side. The relationship with Sienna and Ramona is estranged. We see Chloe's point of view of why she felt the relationships went astray and I was happy that she was able to have the conversations with both Sienna and especially Ramona on what went wrong all those years ago. Especially for a teenager, though reflecting back it may have seem like such a small thing but at the time felt like a huge deal.

I love Chloe's relationship with her cousin Diego who is more like her brother than anything. They are super close and share everything with one another. And guess what - he's a drag queen! Chloe's dad was very protective of her and for good reason. I didn't think he was super overbearing but just an average father looking out for his young daughter. He wanted to be cautious but at the same time knew that she needed to experience things on her own without him breathing down her neck. Overall the family was supportive of not only Diego but just in Chloe in general.

"Growing up seems to mean losing the parts of myself that have made me who I am. I don't want to get a job that keeps me so busy I only have four hours to myself at night - most of which I'll probably spend dreading the next day at work. It's inhumane and capitalistic and horrible and I hate it. But I know I won't have a choice."

I thought the characters felt very much their age a la I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet a Woman. There were times where they felt grown but also times when I felt like they were normal 18 year olds experimenting and embracing their "freedom" being away from their parents. I love the representation that Maldonado wrote in the book! I love the openness of the girls' sexualities and how it was never questioned or was some big revelation, it just was.

I paired my ebook with the audio and narrator Diana Bustelo was wonderful to listen to! She is a new to me narrator and I definitely would listen to her again. I felt like she was able to bring across the girls youthfulness and was able to alter her voice to make each character distinguished. And if you are interested in audio only, it is under 8 hrs which would make it a pretty quick listen!

This is not a long book and easily digestible in a setting or two. If you are looking for a book about friendship, reconnection, road trip, bucket list and of course boy bands - give this one a read!!

PS - As an adult reading this book, the quote that I highlighted above hits hard - oof!

PSS - HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THIS COVER!