I ended up reading the physical copy instead!
The audio wasn't bad, but the beginning was a lot of world building and was easier to digest (for me!) in written form. I did listen to random chapters in audio once I was invested in the story.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so sorry I couldn't finish. DNF at 12%
This book is supposed to be New Adult. I'm learning that just means middle grade writing with probably some spice. Very weird dynamic.
The dialogue was so clunky, it read like a first draft or outline. I actually loved the premise but couldn't get through the actual writing.
Editors are not an optional part of the publishing process 

I had to dnf at 33% when the headmaster banged Maggie and then admitted to misleading her about her son. The relationship felt icky anyway, but bruh.
The beginning made it seem like Crenshaw was the good magic place, but the more we got to know it through these kidnapped characters the shittier / more elitist it seemed. 
I was so so bored, and every character was so annoying. I don't know how we were inside so many different character's heads and still learned so little about them and whats going on. I had no one to root for, everyone was just insufferable. I thought Maggie's storyline would at least be interesting but it really did not take much for her to go from worried mother to jumping her "captor's" bones.
Speaking of which. There is so much insta-lust it's a little nauseating. I love some good romance and/or smut but this didn't have either. No substance to the lust. 

I borrowed it from Libby and it ran out before I finished. I WILL finish it when it comes back in!

It was so long and drawn out.

The "miscommunications" just kept happening because they would tell each other things and then immediately decide the other person didn't mean it and then sabotage the relationship. Over and over again. Holy shit. It was so repetitive I had to give up.

Everyone was either one dimensional, insufferable, or both.

Supposedly our MMC was in his 30's, but had the emotional intelligence of a 17 year old edge lord "I don't pretend that love is anything but a temporary hormonal imbalance..." gag me. You're so cool and aloof bro how do you do it. Also he has mommy issues.

Our FMC was not like other girls, because all other girls (her sister and her mom, and I guess all the other unnamed bridesmaids?) are superficial, they like name brand fashion and Instagram (and were giant bitches), and our FMC likes dinosaurs and goes to therapy. End of personality.

Our MMC loves his brother (the groom) to pieces but hates his soon to be SIL because the wedding is a giant live streamed reality show pr stunt. but like, the groom knows this? He also wants this wedding fanfare to help with getting funding/pr his personal hollywood project? He's in on it and not being bamboozled? Why are you positive she's taking advantage of him?

Also it's so fucking weird how the groom

brought the estranged mom our MMC wanted nothing to do with and tried to force a live streamed reunion/reconciliation? And then was mad at the MMC for being like wtf no? But also how the MMC immediately afterwards wasn't mad at his brother for that stunt?

 

Our FMC's sister is supposedly an actress, chose to have a live-streamed reality show wedding week, but consistently acts like a bitch as if she doesn't have any pr training of how to behave when there are cameras?

Really, I think it was the age of the main characters that did me in. If they were like early 20's I think I could suspend my disbelief a little better. 

She said “meow for now” instead of goodbye. 

It just got kind of boring after awhile, the story was too drawn out