I appreciate this is a re-release with some additional moments added and editing done, all of which brings the author's now added experience into the mix, but wow. For a debut novel, this is spectacular. Had me by the heartstrings from page one, and kept playing them all the way to the last line. I thought I loved Emily's 'Never After' series, but this... this is just beautiful.

The relationship between Alina and Chase (and their friends) starts out so innocently and them a younglings are just so cute! It took me a moment to settle with the fact that Chase is only a couple of years older than Alina - his background gives him a 'world-weary' outlook that makes him seem far older, and right at the introduction there is a second where I felt a little weirded-out by the idea of these two becoming friends. But thanks to the helpful reminders at the start of each chapter, I very quickly aged him down appropriately! Both characters are so well drawn throughout, and there's not a moment or interaction that feels out of place. The secondary characters also stand up to scrutiny, with proper personalities and their own stories bumbling along in the background (some of which I assume we'll be seeing later in the series). 

The pacing of the story works really well. We spend a good proportion of the book watching the characters grow up and getting to know them, but it's a really well done way of worldbuilding - it gives great depth to the characters and means that, when we reach Part 2, they are all properly fleshed out and tangible in the reader's mind. And yet, it still goes by at a swift pace so it doesn't feel like it's all detail and no progress. Part 2 then slows down enough to really get into the heads of Chase and Alina and give you all the great romantic tension, but without dragging it out unnecessarily. And while there are a couple of moments of 'perceived betrayal' that had me reading through my fingers (I have a real love/hate relationship with that trope!), for once I've found a book where the characters actually get their sh*t together and it gets resolved quickly! 

That being said, I don't want to mislead you and make you think that the characters are good at communicating. They are pretty terrible at it, actually! But that is part of the progression of the narrative, and I loved watching them learn. Likewise, her tactful handling of the issues suffered by Chase and Alina's parents is a testament to her own experiences; the reader judges them harshly, sure, but it's not because of their problems, rather what they choose to say and do while stuck at the bottom of their pit. On the other side of the coin, it's really easy to sympathise with Alina and Chase for their reactions to their parents' issues, to understand why they may be the way they are and to cheer for them when they finally seem to start to take back some control for themselves.

I'm really pleased I've finally entered Sugarlake, and I cannot wait to pick up the rest of the series from my TBR pile!