I received an advance review copy from Wednesday Books; all opinions are my own and honest.

I would definitely have enjoyed this more when I was a teenager myself — when it often felt like me against the world. For a start, I would definitely have related more to JL; her feelings are familiar to me, her bad decisions understandable, but since I like to think I've since matured it was frustrating to read.

The timeline-jumping also didn't really work for me, though that might just be my tendency to automatically skip over the chapter heading and date. While the short chapters and abrupt transitions added some tension/mystery, it also kept me from feeling totally immersed in the narrative.

content warnings:

Spoiler

ableism (incl “cr*zy”), relationship with age gap (15 & 19), pressure to have sex, non-graphic sexual content, mentally ill parent, slut-shaming, underage drinking, marijuana use, mention of drug use (shrooms), mention of alcoholic parent

rep:

Spoiler

secondary character (parent) with dissociative disorder

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CONVERSION: 8.47 / 15 = 3 stars

Prose: 6 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 4 / 10
Emotional Impact: 6 / 10
Development / Flow: 4 / 10
Setting: 4 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: N/A
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Happiness is getting home after an exam and finding this pretty book on my desk! Thank you to Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press) for sending me an advance review copy. (And thank you to my housemates for bringing in the mail, I guess.)