ANDIE. BURKE. THE WRITER THAT YOU ARE!!!
after reading fly with me, i couldn’t help but love derek and wishing we saw more of him. which is EXACTLY what this book was. 
i loved every second of this book. i loved that a main focus of it was setting boundaries and learning from them. 
there was funny moments, swoon worthy moments, angry and sad moments, and happy ones too. andie really set the bar high with her first two releases, so i can’t wait to see what comes next. 

i love a good hockey romance. and i love interconnected standalones. 
i do fear im not the target audience for this series, so i might step back for a bit, but i do see myself continuing it in the future. 
i love ren. frankie is a bad ass. 
i wish matt got his ass handed to him. 

to be so very honest with you, this book would’ve had a higher rating but willa was insufferable at times and the writing was cringey at times for me. if i had to read jeebus christmas one more time, i fear i’d dnf. 
loved ryder. loved the storyline. loved the plot. didn’t mesh with the writing too well

this book was exactly what i expected it to be; it had mystery, twist and turns, and drama. it wasn't groundbreaking, but i did have a lot of fun listening to this audio. it was especially good to break up the romcoms i was reading at the same time. 

to preface: my friends convinced me to read this because i’m skeptical of any books that are both straight and blow up on social media. i am so glad i finally picked it up! 
first, olive being demisexual (inferred, not outright mentioned) was so fun for me, an asexual demiromantic. the tropes in the book were all done well, and i feel like all of the characters were well developed. sometimes i find that side characters don’t get developed enough to feel like real people, but that wasn’t the case here. 
i liked the story focusing on an educated woman who refuses to change who she is to fit in. 
overall, this story was so fun and i can’t wait to read ali’s whole backlog of books. 

wow. wow. wow. 

i’ll read anything julian writes. and i’ll devour it. but this book… 

there were so many moments in this book that i had to pause and reflect on. there were quotes that had me closing the book, and thinking on how these concepts could be mirrored in our world. there were times that had me wishing this book was real because the queer black boy joy felt palpable and i WISH that was more common. 

i’m finding it hard to put into words how important this book is. but it feels like a dedication to BIPOC authors, readers, and people. (the  easter eggs pointing to other authors, books, or people in this community were also so fun to find and recognize!) 

if you haven’t picked up any of julian’s books yet, this is your sign to do just that. and then pick up another. and another. read the backlist. 

THIS BOOK!!!
if you’re a fan of one of us is lying, a good girls guide, and other books like that, immediately pick this book up. 
first, the narrator does a really good job through the book. there were a couple of weird parts in the audio, but i’m not sure if that’s just bc i listened in 3x speed? 
but the PLOT! the PLOT! it is INSANE! there’s great characterization, fully immersing me in the book from start to finish. 
the dual timeline/POV is done really well, creating a full picture of the events as they happen. 
and the END!!!!!! oh my god. insane. 

if you’re looking for a silly rom com as a palate cleanser, this is your book. 
cute, fast paced, competitive. has some drama without having too much drama. the chapter length was perfect, the epilogue wasn’t my favorite but definitely fit the vibes, and a wonderfully happy ending. 

i love a silly little novella, especially when it serves as a silly little epilogue.