Becky Albertalli books are like cool drink on a hot summer day: sweet, refreshing, and gone before you know it! I'm pretty sure I've said this for her other books I've read this year, but I gobbled this one up in basically one sitting. I found Leah pretty unlikable in Simon's book (which might be because her character is so different in the film, and I preferred her then?), so I was hesitant about this one. However, I am so endeared to Albertalli's writing and the world she creates; her high school students are so authentic. She also doesn't shy away from making characters flawed. Leah is stubborn, sullen, retaliatory, and an over the top perfectionist. Getting inside her head and her anxieties took me back to my adolescence in so many ways (both good and bad!). Leah was a great contradiction of confident in her identity and yet completely lost too. It was a real joy watching her grow and accept herself.

I have no idea if Albertalli will explore this world again, but I'm certainly looking forward to if she revisits the Creekwood gang!