This book doesn’t hold up as well as the first one does. There’s a lot more misogyny and also a character named G*psy Jack (though they mostly just call him Jack). A lot of the plot also ends up being pointless in the end/mostly a way to introduce new characters. The world and the characters and the writing style are still fun, though, and I still absolutely recommend it. Just not quite as enthusiastically as the first one.

I loved this book! It was a wonderful coming-of-age story with an engaging protagonist. It did some creative things with storytelling. I definitely had a few issues with it, but overall, it was just a great YA novel.

I didn't like this book as much as I liked Six of Crows (just cause the overarching plot was less interesting), but it was still fantastic. I love these characters, and I loved seeing more of them.

SPOILERS:

I didn't cry when Matthias died. I was sad for Nina, but that was unfortunately sort of the end of it. The placement of his death in the narrative was also pretty jarring.
You know when I DID cry? When Kaz BOUGHT INEJ A BOAT.

I absolutely loved this book. Georgia is a relatable protagonist whose struggles transcend her own coming-out journey but also represent that journey really well. This book also feels SO accurate to the college experience, from the struggles of dealing with your roommate relationship to the worry that you and your friends are drifting apart to the extremely chaotic Shakespeare production. Also: sapphic rivals-to-lovers subplot!

This book quickly became one of my favorites for a wide variety of reasons. Alex really spoke to me as a character in a way that not a lot of characters have, and Henry also spoke to me for very different reasons. I loved the literary references and the focus on the connections between queer history and the queer present. I loved that the characters were the same age as me and truly felt like they were that age. And it presents an alternate version of the 2020 election that's better than what we got but that also feels strangely realistic. I don't know if I want a sequel or if I want this wonderful book to just exist on its own.

That’s the review I wrote shortly after finishing this book. Now, a year and a half later, I still like it a lot. It was still a very impactful read for me personally. But I think that part of why I loved it so much had less to do with the book’s actual merits and more to do with the fact that it was the first book I read for fun in 2020.

Basically, my feelings about this book are slightly complicated, but if you’re able to do what I did and turn off your critical thinking while reading it, it’s very enjoyable.