This is the kind of fun, thoughtful #ownvoices romance I really wanted to  give full 5 stars too, especially since, while remaining a hopeful romantic journey at its core, the novella touches on plenty of important subjects, such as what it means to be autistic, fat, kinky,  trans, polyamorous, demiromantic, and more. Unfortunately, the problem for me was that the book often got kind of preachy on all these subjects. Time and time again I felt like the characters stopped going about their lives and started lecturing me. The other small thing that makes me lower my mark is that I wish the book told me more about Gideon, the person who initially brought the MC, Ernest, and his LI Nora together as metamours. I really wish I was shown more of him and his dynamic with both central characters to understand them better.

Even with all that, however, I really enjoyed the book! It was a wonderful quick read with plenty of representation, a super diverse cast, and a great development between the leads as well as a great take at polyamory. So often when two metamours develop an attraction toward each other in romance like this, they end up in a closed triad, but here Ernest and Nora build something of their own while each keeping a separate relationship with Gideon. (Come to think of it, maybe that's why the author chose to keep Gideon largely out of the plot—to reinforce the subversion of the trope?). This is not a rare development in real life, and it deserves to be covered in romance.

I also adored Ernest as a character very much. He is such a loveable person, and a lot of his struggles were so relatable for me. Actually, I loved everyone I got to meet in this book. The found family aspect was spot-on and reminded me of life in my own house and my own relationships with friends. My favorite thing was the way everyone took steps to communicate as clearly and safely as possible—that was so beautiful to read. In the afterword, the author promises more books with these characters—I can't wait to read them!