not sure if the rating will stay the same (writing this pre-book club meeting). this was interesting. i was not entirely prepared for how dark this was going to get - especially coming from liang's latest book, this time it's real - or how morally grey the main character alice is. the premise of this is really cool, but i think the balance is a bit off. alice does some pretty horrible things throughout the story, although her intentions are good as she tries to pay for her education, yet her relationships with henry (her academic rival - she hates him, he has a crush on her) and her roommate attempt to paint her in a softer light that doesn't always feel genuine. i really liked henry as a character, but the romance didn't work with the grit of the main plotline. the discomfort and tension in the story were actually pretty fun to read - you want to justify alice's actions like she does, but it gets harder and harder to do as she gets more and more greedy. but at the end, she's just a teenage girl who wants things. the ending is definitely sugar coated and surely not what would actually happen - it doesn't match up with the rest of the story's tone and actions. the puzzle pieces just didn't fit. honestly would have enjoyed this more if it was just 1) a story about a girl who randomly turns invisible and has to learn about that lesson while also figuring things out with her rival-turned-crush and roommate or 2) a tense and complex story about a girl willing to do anything (including KIDNAP SOMEONE) for money and the place she wants in the world. doing both didn't work very well for me.

absolutely stunning art, well-designed characters and dynamics and a story that has lots of heart to it. 

i love being seen and represented in media!! this was so fun and heartfelt and lovely. imogen is a great character and her coming of age was so well done by albertalli. 

this was SO MUCH FUN. i grew up reading ally carter's gallgher girls and heist society books, so opening this to the dedication "for the GGs" made me so happy and nostalgic. this is a very similar vibe to the gallagher girls series (spies! romance! mystery! kicking ass!) but ally ups the ante for her first adult novel. i was pleasantly surprised by how well the dual pov with the male lead worked - it adds a lot of tension for readers in a good way. the twists kept things moving strong throughout the story, and this is definitely a romantic comedy - which i had to keep reminding myself of when i was confused about how much romance there was. only downsides were that the writing was repetitive at times, sawyer's angsting was a bit too much. it was so awesome to be back in the world of ally carter. i'm excited to see how this one does upon release and what's next for her (very intrigued by that last paragraph, ally)

 i think ally's writing is best suited to young adult, which is where her tone and stories really work for the age group. and now i want a grown-up gallagher girls book. 

ISABELLA DO NOT LOOK AT THIS OK THANKS

alrighty now that she's gone:
i was so disappointed by this :< the premise is so fun and i was really excited by the cover and vibes! but there was way too much plot going on. the insta-love was so hard to move past, even when the relationship did progress and had some sweet moments, mainly because i just never felt like i really understood the characters. (yes, i do prefer character-driven stories over plot-driven, so this just might not be the book for me! but also-) dylan had an interesting story and i was genuinely rooting for him, but theo never had me, despite all the things he did/said that were obviously supposed to make me like him. i wish we all got a bit more breathing room throughout the story because there was SO MUCH HAPPENING. this only takes place over like. a couple of weeks? and in that time:

i probably missed some stuff honestly i did my best. MY POINT IS there's way too much happening here that doesn't allow the characters to even begin to develop. the dialogue was a bit stilted at times but i did really enjoy some of the food descriptions! also there should have been more of the dog. does any of this review make sense who knows

i love this book i love beth o'leary i love izzy i love lucas i love forest manor !!
this is the rom com of the year perhaps?? to me?? o'leary is so talented at writing romance stories that treat each lead like a real and fully-rounded person. she's right up there with emily henry for me when it comes to romance/women's fiction. izzy and lucas are both really interesting characters that you just want to know more about and see them happy. the miscommunication in the story about last christmas does go on for quite a while, but it's not the biggest thing keeping them apart for the majority of the story, and they have more to work through than that to be in a successful and happy relationship. i loved all the secondary characters (i will be holding on to the tiffy cameo for the rest of my life thank you very much) and how real and homey the hotel felt. izzy's journey especially was very well-done and i always appreciate how o'leary's female leads have their own journey/work to do along with the romance. it just makes the happy ending that much more satisfying and i LOVE IT. this is definitely one of my favorite books of the year and i'm so excited to read it again when it comes out. 
new beth o'leary ranking: TWUC, flatshare, no-show, switch, road trip

prelim thoughts before book club:

i liked this book, but i don't really have any reason to love it and now that i'm thinking about it, there was a lot that did kind of frustrate me. maybe 3? 3.5 stars?