Well. Clearly romance isn’t my thing. Or it is, but this book certainly isn’t my thing.

Listen. I like sex. You know what I like more in a romance though? Actual yearning. Which wasn’t in this one. They talk a couple of times, and suddenly the enmity vanishes and they're sooo attracted to each other. The tension between them could have gone on for longer.

The characters were... there. I liked Astrid, to be honest. I just think she got a shit deal with her book. Jordan on the other hand. Oh boy. The less said, the better. 

When your love interest is infuriating enough for you to consider quitting the book, you got a real winner in your hands. Jordan was inconsistent as hell with her motivations for me, which were already paper-thin. She seemed more like an object for the plot to progress through, hit all the beats of a typical rom-com.

Simon was also just there, and I so wish we had actual heart-to-hearts with him and Pru and just overall had gotten to know the Everwoods more. What about the ghost in Lapis room? Just give me something to connect to this, man.

Third act conflict was meh, though I did like where Astrid ended up.

It felt like forced tension a lot of the times, and I only honestly completed this so I could say I completed it. It could have been a fun cheesy romp! Instead I had to grit my teeth at how white-millenial diverse the entire thing was. The threads were there, but unfortunately they couldn't connect for me.