Observable fact: I really wish Goodreads allowed half-star ratings. This book is a solid 3.25 to 3.5 stars for me, but I just couldn't give it a four.

Maybe my lower-than-average rating is due to the fact that my expectations were so high. Normally I would say that is my own problem, but the reason my expectations were so incredibly high was the crazy hype this book was getting here and on YouTube. From the overwhelmingly glowing reviews, one would expect this to be a groundbreaking piece of literary fiction. I did not find that to be my experience.

Now, that is not to say that I didn't enjoy several sections of this book. I did. I found myself smiling at many scenes because there was a cute and whimsical factor that cannot be denied, both in the story and also Nicola Yoon's writing. Unfortunately, there were a few things I just couldn't get past that brought my rating down.

Things I liked:
-The cover. SO AMAZING.
-The diversity. This book is an 'own voices' book about a Jamaican girl and a Korean boy. The narrative explored several cultural and racial themes and was actually quite informative, culturally speaking.
-The external plot was interesting and unique for me. I haven't read many books that focus on undocumented immigrants. If the book had focused more on Natasha and her fight to stay in the United States, I think I would've enjoyed this book more.
-Similarly, if the story had focused on Daniel and his family's dynamic and his struggle to be his own person in the face of his parents believing they know what's best for him, that could've been compelling, if not exactly unique.
-I loved that we got little snippets of background story on different characters and the way they all made a difference in the story in some way, whether it seemed important or not at the time.
-I loved -- LOVED -- Nicola Yoon's writing. I haven't read Everything, Everything yet, so this was my first exposure to her. I thought she had such a quirky and fun structure in the story. I didn't mind the short chapters for the most part, and even the fact that she jumps from first person to third person makes sense in the structure of the story. I like that there is more to this book that just the story of Natasha and Daniel. We learn about science, culture, and history in a way that doesn't feel like it takes you out of the story. It actually felt very cinematic to me. I could picture everything in my head as it was happening.
-I liked the banter between Daniel and Natasha. They were both very interesting characters and I liked that they were so different, yet so respectful of the other's beliefs. If this had just remained a friendship instead of going the romance route, this probably would've been a four-star book for me.

Things I didn't like:
-Can you say 'insta-love'? Because seriously, the 'romance' in this book had me cringing. Parts of it were cute, but they went way over the top and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. This book takes place over the course of one day. They literally met at like 10 o'clock that morning and by 2:00 PM he's telling her he loves her. And by that evening she is telling him she loves him, when all through the book she's repeatedly said that she doesn't believe in love. And I get it. The book is supposed to be about fate and destiny and whatnot. But I just really didn't feel the romantic connection between them at all. Like I stated earlier, if they'd just been friends I would've preferred that I think. Or if they'd known each other before that day, maybe I could believe that a romance would spark up between them that quickly.
-The epilogue. I would've actually preferred if the book had ended before the prologue. The last couple of chapters before the prologue were bittersweet, hopeful, and real. I understand that it doesn't follow the whole theme of destiny and true love, but I thought it would've been more impactful if they hadn't met up again.
-Charlie. This was one area where I really didn't like Nicola Yoon's writing. Most of his dialogue was Written. Like. This. With. Each. Word. Followed. By. A. Period. It got really annoying really quickly. It felt like she was trying to force the reader to hear him in a certain way but couldn't think of a good way to communicate it. If she's simply said something like, 'He spoke with a staccato edge to his voice, with each word equally emphasized.' I think I would've gotten the idea. I don't need to be hit over the head.
-Insta-love. I know I already mentioned this...but it bears repeating. It's the most intense case of Insta-love that I've ever read. It just isn't authentic at all. And it's kind of sad because I feel like this book could've been really special if it's focused more on the characters discovering themselves rather than falling in love in the course of a couple hours.

I feel like if I'd read this ten or fifteen years ago I would've loved it. Unfortunately, I found myself slightly disappointed when I got to the end of this book. I will still check out her other book (and future books) because I think her writing is very good.