Ahhh this was adorable and I loved this a lot, especially when compared to some of the recent romances I've read! I honestly was beginning to think it was me, not those other books, but this one proved me all wrong.

Even though I'm not generally interested in medical/dentistry school settings, and I felt like overall the author did a fantastic job of sucking you into the academic world of Harper and Dan. It felt relatable on a generally academic level, but even beyond that you found yourself admiring Harper and her ambitions, while on the other hand understanding why Dan despised the program. It also worked really well as a setting for all of Harper and Dan's trauma to be dealt with, and for their romance to originally flourish.

I also really appreciated and liked the mental health rep (anxiety) in this story, and thought it was extremely well-done, especially when compared to recent reads. It was a constant presence in Harper's life, not just appearing when textually convenient, and you could painfully see the depth of her struggles with it. There were some scenes that were really hard to read because of how true they felt, especially regarding academic perfection and success. It makes me really excited to read more of the books in this series, especially seeing the next one focuses on a character with ADHD.

The romance was also adorable, especially in the beginning. I'm generally not super into friends to lovers, but this wasn't wholly that trope, and even when it was just friends, Dan was just so completely obsessed with Harper that it was adorable. I've read a lot of colder, more hidden/mysterious male MCs in romance recently, so seeing a guy just outright adore this woman was really cute to read. It endeared me to both characters, and their budding relationship, really quickly, and from there I was sold!

Overall, I really enjoyed this, even more so since I got to buddy read it with a friend, and I highly recommend it!