i was soooo excited for this and wanted to love it so badly but it was just very… weird. i think it’s such a stark difference in tone and substance from the first book that it caught me off guard. yes yes i realize that they’re no kids anymore and the glow of rushed childhood love wearing off is like The Whole Point. but i think what made me love these two characters in the first place was that glow (i know that’s mean) and without it they’re just……people. again, The Point, i know. if it wasn’t a sequel and these were just two new characters i’d probably really like this. but this didn’t feel like the rowan and neil i fell in love with.

overall just a bit disappointing and wholly unnecessary.