CUTE. SO CUTE. I don’t even feel weird calling it fluffy, because that’s what it is and Leah would both understand and appreciate the fandom term.

Where to even start? Becky Albertalli is brilliant at this, high school realistic-fiction with all the quintessential tropes and themes BUT with vibrant lovable LGBTQ characters and storylines. (And I loved the name-drops from her other books!) Love triangles are suddenly not just acceptable but interesting and delightfully dramatic when they’re intertwined with the complexities of sexuality. Prom becomes that much brighter and almost purer with happy queer couples center stage.

Further props for representation in making Leah fat, and all the little microaggressions that come with nonconformity of any kind. However, I will say I’m not a huge fan of the us-vs-them (eg, squad vs Taylor Metternick, Leah vs skinny dressing room girls) snide remarks and resentment, even if it is realistic; call me idealistic, but I just think we should blame the system instead of people on the other end of the socially-constructed spectrum.