I just spent an hour sobbing over this volume

I’ve had this book on my tbr for so long and I have no idea why it took me so long to finally read it. I originally got it on audible because my favorite narrator was the one reading it and the story sounded really interesting. I really loved this book! I think the message that no matter how put together everyone else seems compared to you, you don’t actually know what’s going on with them and what they’re going through so you can’t compare yourself to people. And I think that’s especially important for teenagers that are struggling to figure out who they are when everyone is telling them they have to make all the decisions, for the rest of their lives, right now. The pressure to be perfect can be suffocating and can make you forget about the little things that make life so beautiful. Not everything is about the end goal because once you get there, you don’t want to look back and regret all of the fun you missed with the people you love.

First, I just want to say how sad I am that I’ve finished this book. I loved it so much that I wanted it to go on forever. There’s not a single thing in this book that I didn’t absolutely love.

Being inside Ben’s head helped me learn so much about non-binary people and what it’s like to live in a body that doesn’t feel right. Ben’s struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, and touch aversion was depicted so well and really hit home for me as someone that’s dealt with all three for my whole life. The love story was so well written and made my heart melt every single time they talked to each other. I also really really loved Thomas and I want to know so much more about his and Hannah’s relationship.

There’s honestly not enough words to explain how good this book is. I would read anything and everything about Ben, Nathan, Hannah, Thomas, Mariam, Sophie, and Meleika.

I read this book when it came out right after I read Simon vs. and didn’t even pay attention to it being by Becky Albertalli, let alone in the same universe as Simon and I could not put it down

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and most of it did not disappoint!

First off, the mental health and LGBTQ+ rep is this one was incredible. The way that Ridley’s anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation/thoughts was so real and incredibly heartbreaking. A lot of it hit home for me personally as someone that deals with mental health issues even though his stemmed from a very different place than mine. I just really love how honestly a lot of the hard things were actually talked about, I think that’s very rare in any kind of media and I’m thankful that stories like this are speaking out about things that need to be talked about!

The reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I feel like the wrap up was a little rushed? It seemed like the whole book was leading up to a blow up between the parents and when it finally got there we didn’t get to see it because Ridley was unconscious and Jubilee wasn’t around at all so that was disappointing. I also just don’t love the Romeo & Juliet trope so that wasn’t my favorite.

I think a lot of people will go into this thinking it’s a fluffy rom-com and while there are swoon worthy moments, it’s much more heavy and serious than its being marketed as!

I love Jennifer and would read anything she wrote so while this wasn’t my favorite book I’ve read this year, I did really enjoy it, overall and would recommend it!

The best book I have ever read in my entire life! I could read this book over and over!

Update: No matter how many times I've read this book, I'm just as in love with it as the first time. It's the book that made me fall in love with reading and changed my life in the process.

If you've never read this book, I highly recommend it. It's deeply moving and has a very powerful message.

"No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people."