I loved this, and I don't normally enjoy reading extensive first-person, single POV stories, but everything about this construction worked so well here. Being in Sal's head feels necessary and intimate and deceptively casual (the occasional direct nods to the reader made me feel like I was back in THAT MOMENT in Fleabag season two, IYKYK). I was so pleasantly surprised by how connected I felt to Vanessa's character despite never having her POV, and how richly built she feels through Sal's narration. The cast feels small and the geography intentionally tight, reflecting the reality of life for those existing wholly within a specific neighborhood, and the lurking threat in Sal's (and the reader's) periphery is so visceral. And the way Sal and Vanessa ultimately negotiate a happily-ever-after feels exactly right for each of them individually. I look forward to reading the rest of this series and more, generally, by Mia Hopkins.