The more books by Talia Hibbert I read, the more I fall in love with her style. I mean, the banter! The characterization! The humor! Everything I’ve read by her so far has been so much fun, and this book is no exception. It may even be my favorite so far, even though it took time for me to buy the two leads as a couple because of the incompatibility in their needs and wants. They did win me over eventually, but honestly, at the beginning of the book it was really hard to believe Danika wasn’t aromantic. All the views she shared on relationships were like… pretty much the exact things I hear from my aro friends. 

And yes, in her case it was all because of the trauma coming from a string of relationships that didn’t work out because she wasn’t invested in the traditional romantic activities her partners expected. Makes sense, I guess. But as I type this, it’s still hard for me to not read her as an aromantic character, despite the opposite being affirmed in the book in her own words. There was just this vibe around what she wanted from a relationship, like she was interested more in a kind of… committed FWB scenario? Which is completely valid and something plenty of alloromantic people could get behind, I’m sure. It just took quite a lot of convincing for me to buy that this could be a good choice for someone like Zafir who places so much importance on feelings.

Speaking of Zafir, I absolutely love him. Seriously, best MMC I’ve seen recently! He’s got such a great balance of grumpiness and kindness going on, and I really relate to the reasons he’s so into romance novels, and his anxiety is portrayed so well. He’s this guy who genuinely wants to make the world a better place because he’s been hurt by it and doesn’t want others to suffer the same, and this is my favorite type of character to root for. I also really loved the small subplots woven around his storyline, pulling his work, family, and best friend into the story. Dani, of course, brought plenty to the table, as well, with those amazing couple of scenes with her sisters, and the witchiness vibe, and the academia, and her unique blend of confidence and vulnerability. Really, both are wonderful characters.

My one small complaint is pacing: it was absolutely wonderful for the first 75-80% or so, but then the final part was really, really rushed, and I feel like the third-act break-up could have been handled better or avoided at all. But ultimately, this was a super fun read, and I’m excited for the final book in the series.