Beyond charming YA release. Enemies to lovers and self-discovery blended up with a fun idea and magical realism.

I don't know that anyone who isn't a distance runner would gain much from this? It's less memoir as a stream of consciousness on running, overcoming pain, and the strength of personal rules within that context.

In a lot of ways, it reminds me of a more coherent journey through my own muddled thoughts when I run and was insightful and weirdly optimistic and wholesome.

This one gets a bonus star for making me wonder if the self-righteousness of the politics of white cis hetero Leo (Hannah's Leo) is a commentary on the actions and dangers of neoliberalism.

Otherwise this book just left me frustrated and disappointed. Every character verged on unlikable. The story was placid. The misdirects were... almost fine, I guess? Hannah's entire storyline added nothing and you could skip it entirely and come out having not even noticed. I'm not entirely sure what the author was trying to add with it, unless it was just a way for them to insert commentary about 2020 events.

I will say that it's a fast read. Not as engaging as other mysteries I've read, but has that same moreish quality when it's rolling in spite of its flaws.

The modern language is jarring and I find the way some of the jealousy tropes are romanticized to be harmful in execution. But the dark fae aspects and most of the spice are my brand of guilty pleasures and there are lots of both.

I thought this one rolled out of the gates slowly and kind of muddled, but by the 30% I was invested for the relationship between a single mother and the child she wants to save at any cost. I'm really glad I hung around, because it ended up being a unique take on vampires, inherited trauma, with commentary on patriarchal systems of oppression.