kirsten_marie's Reviews (63)

Had to deliver this copy back.

I feel like I have to reread this soon to get all the details of the book. I especially enjoyed the first part of the book because it felt more descriptive and scenic to me than the rest, which was more flashbacks and dialogue. But overall, I enjoyed these few characters and their tragedy.

Just as cutsie, sweet, and empowering as usual <3

I had so high hopes for this one because I loved the first book so much. It had this special atmosphere to it, and I couldn't keep myself from caring deeply for those boys and their story. sadly, I feel all that is lost after reading the sequel. 

From the beginning, the writing felt awkward and as the author has tried to compose some beautiful text, but completely missed the mark in the process. It is an extreme case of tell and not show. It felt like watching a bad play. The characters only play their roles and never feel like fully developed souls. There is little to no emotional build-up in serious scenes either. It lacks subtlety and depth. Only on a number of pages I could count on my fingers did I feel invested in the story. I would also argue that there are several very illogical choices and events. 90% of it's entirety is also direct dialogue, which I find unbearably dull. 


Should have DNFed this one, but I'm too f*ing stubborn.

I enjoyed this book a lot actually, and I felt like I got a tiny insight into what it is like dealing with having HIV in your life in one way or another. This was truly heartfelt and feel-good. I could have done with a little bit more of the romance though, but that's just me. The plot was also pretty predictable more often than not, but it didn't bother me that much.

I have to say this sequel did not turn out to be the one I expected. Or the one I had hoped and wished for, for that matter. But it may be the one the two of them needed, the inevitable one.
One can argue it was an unnecessary one. And yes it was, but to me, not at all unwelcome. 

In the beginning, I was almost sure I was destined to be disappointed, but the longer I read the more wrong I discovered my predictions to be. The stories that unfold in between old pastry cafes, gloomy allies on Italian summer nights, and behind thin hotel walls feel profound, real, and earned by time. They all found me in the end, and I am glad they did.