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Out of Focus by Cristina Santos
5.0

This was amazing and my absolute favorite of the series. I loved every single thing about it! First of all, the cover is simply gorgeous. I have read the first two books in the series and loved them, and I was so excited to read about Rafael and Charlie. I think one of my favorite things about this book is the representation. Both Rafael and Charlie have ADHD, Rafael is dyslexic, and Charlie is autistic. I love when books fetaure neurodivergent characters and the author handled this so well. I feel like Charlie was quite accurately portrayed, and her strengths and weaknesses with autism were handled with the utmost care. Rafael and Charlie know each other because of their mutual friends, but they have always shared a dislike for each other. However, Charlie enlists Rafael's help with her romance novel writing, and Rafael in exchange asks for Charlie's help with a family project. What began as a reluctant deal to help each other, becomes an actual attraction and eventually love. Rafael was such a sweetheart and literally the perfect man, despite Charlie thinking differently of him from the beginning. To be considered is to be loved, and Rafael embodies this statement. At first glance, it seems like these two would not get along at all and couldn't be any different but it turns out they have more in common than they think. I loved their journey, because they began as enemies, then friends, then more, and it was just so beautiful from start to finish. I seriously did not want it to end! Cristina Santos is such a wonderful writer, and I really felt so connected to the characters and so immersed in the story. I loved getting to see and hear about the characters from the previous books; it was like coming home to family. This book is just so special to me and I know I will be thinking about it forever!

Thank you to NetGalley and Cristina Santos for the eARC of this book!