Just gonna start this by saying that I recommend reading/listening to this in one day if possible, because this probably would've been a 5 star read had I done that! I instead broke it up over a night and the following afternoon and the book just lost some of its magic because of that (it's happened with other romances in the same way for me). It's probably due to the fact that my first session of reading involved most of the build up plus the tension finally breaking, so there was less of the 'good stuff' waiting for me in the final sitting.

Overall though this book was so cute!!! I was seriously just, full on smiling through most of it. I honestly loved both POVs equally, since both Max and Lina had such an interesting cast of characters surrounding them, and so much going for them beyond just the romance. But of course, the romance itself was adorable too, from the early on pranks to the later on deep conversations. There was honestly no flaw in their relationship that made it feel false or problematic to me, and I loved seeing the pair grow throughout the story through knowing each other.

Can I also just commend the other relationships in this story? I was blown away by the positive male friendship Max had with Dean, and loved how he could actually rely on his friend to be there for him in even an emotional capacity. (Also, just the male POV having a strong friendship out of the relationship was great, as often the male love interest seems to only really have the woman to rely on for emotional support). Lina's family, the interweaving of Brazilian culture throughout the story, was also really well done, and Sosa perfectly balanced worrying about letting your family down while also entirely loving them. It was all just so positive and wholesome!

Honestly, just read this book guys. It's cute, wholesome, while also having some deep conversations about women feeling forced to hide their emotions and sibling rivalries (and their lingering consequences).