it was lovely to some old favorite characters in this book, but because there were so many references to the past, I don't think this would be a good starting point for rick riordan, which I don't love because it makes it kind of inaccessible

THANK YOUUUUU to net galley and the publisher for an arc.

I have hit the jackpot with most of my ARCs this year. this was incredible. it made me laugh, cry, smile, and think. it gave me the emotional payoff that I was expecting from unsteady but didn't quite get. Freddy and ro have my whole heart. they are so relatable and so good together. my favorite moments were them just having fun together despite all their hardships. this was also spicier than unsteady, but I thought it was done well. HUGE TW for emotionally abusive relationships, both romantic and familial. I think it could be really triggering for people who have been through that.

i got really invested in the last 60% of this book. the mystery was quite good, and i was genuinely surprised by the reveal! the relationships did stress me out, and i would have liked an epilogue for more closure since i experienced so much tenseness throughout my reading experience 😅 the writing was good, like all of clare gilmore’s writing. my only ~slight~ issue with the writing was that some of the dialogue felt unrealistic