started this on audio when i was in need of a book before a nail appointment (lol hi i have anxiety and don’t want to talk to humans) and was so glad i had the physical book on my shelf at home (thanks, @randomhouse!) because i loved this one SO MUCH. it’s truly so charming and made me want to move to an isolated island in the UK and be friends with all these amazing humans!!! what a great cast of characters (the best found family 🥹) and tender love story (with complexities, for sure, but so real!). truly a treasure of a book and one that made feel all the feels in the best way. 

hello, middle grade march! snagged this one because it seemed familiar to me but reading it again felt brand new! it’s full of antics and shenanigans and a spunky girl with the best intentions who gets into all kinds of messes, and it’s so fun! definitely reminiscent of julie b jones and ramona and such. it’s cute!!

thanks for this book, @berkleypub! rich people with secrets and scandals? con artists galore? okay!!! this one touched on some rough topics too (so much grooming! and implications of sex between a young girl and grown men… 🤢) 

the mom is the worst, the main character isn’t likeable at all (i don’t think i’m a fan of an anti-heroine), the love interest isn’t swoony at all, and the shady bff is a mess?

but also i could NOT put it down and flew through it!

i think i just wanted a bit more drama?

all in all, a fun, fast thriller (??) that will hook you even if every character is one you hate. 😅

took me a minute to realize this wasn't actually a sequel to fortune's first book......... 

i really enjoyed this one. buuuuut also? there are so many similar themes to "every summer after" with two love interests and familial loss and coming back home and the lake being a character and... on and on? as i think about it now, it feels almost too similar?? but while reading, i was really into the story and liked it a lot... so maybe as long as you have forgotten the plot of ESA, you'll be great here? 

didn't think this review was going to be critical but i think i just wanted something really new and fresh in the end, and what i got was just a spinoff of the same story i had already read and loved!!!