This was so cute! It was such a tender little story about stepping out and meeting new people and actually /making/ friends, and how hard and terrifying that can be. I relate so much to Virgil's fear, and Valencia's determination to swear off friends forever. The way everyone's narratives weave together was so fun to read, but I did feel as though some things were left too unresolved, especially with the bully character. Why did we even get his point of view at all? I was expecting him to be given a character arc, but he didn't change at all. It was just about Virgil standing up to him, which was fine, but him getting a point of view set the expectation that there would be something more.

I did like how in the end, everything wasn't picture perfect. There were some areas I felt needed to be resolved more, but Virgil's persistent fear and other elements of the ending were very realistic and, though I would have /liked/ more, it made sense that it ended how it did.

If you want a cute little story about friendship and adventure (Kaori will forever be my favorite. What an icon.), try this book! Bonus points for a great audio book!