Out of all the books in this series, this one was my favourite. I will admit, I struggled to get into this series with the new perspective and new characters, but this final book solidified that Trials of Apollo is an amazing series. I'll definitely have to reread the series so I can fully appreciate it. 

Rick Riordan has a great way of writing characters. I adore how he characterised Apollo and how Apollo grew as a person throughout the series. From being a bratty, overconfident God in a mortal's body in The Hidden Oracle, Apollo really grew into himself.

I especially loved how, when his godhood was restored, he struggled to integrate back into his godly society. He talks about how, even though he's been a god for 4000 years, just six months as a mortal has changed him more than those millennia ever had and the best part about that is it shows.

Rick has a very formulaic writing style. Characters have a few days to complete a task. Each challenge in a chapter, we follow two or three of our main crew as they make it through. But I have to say, it works really well. As a 19 year old reader of these middle grade books, Rick can genuinely write for all ages. 

I originally started reading this series when I was in a slump last year and my life changed for the better. Now that The Sun and the Star and The Chalice of the Gods have been released, they're fuelling my Rick Riordan book consumption. This series is majorly overlooked in media compared to other books of its time. I'm so happy that, with the tv show coming out in December, they're finally going to get all the attention they deserve. 

If you're looking for an amazing series with compelling character development and hilarious jokes, this one's for you. 

I read this book in a day, I was so obsessed with it. I originally found this book when I was browsing my library website and decided to download it because the premise sounded so interesting. And I'm a sucker for small restaurant romances. 

These characters were so compelling and interesting. I fell in love with them instantly. It was so refreshing to read a queer story where the queerness of it wasn't discussed as a problem to the story. Both of our main characters were out to their friends and family and no one had an issue with it. I've been waiting to read a queer romance with more emphasis on the romance than the queerness for a long time and this book delivered. 

Dylan and Theo were such interesting characters with deep backstories and rich personalities. I loved how the author discussed Dylan struggling to navigate Theo's world coming from a less wealthy immigrant family. But it's always fun to read how characters with such different backgrounds interact. Even though Dylan and Theo come from vastly different world, they are such similar people, it's a joy to read about their relationship.

Reading about how each character talks so differently about their cultures and the deaths of their mothers, it's gripping to see how they still understand each other's struggles and respect them.

I will admit, the ending was a bit too idealistic for my tastes. But romance books with hilariously good and upbeat endings are always fun and it's great to see all these perfect characters get the ending they deserve.

I would have preferred to see Dylan and his family work for the funds themselves to get the new restaurant, but I completely understand the metaphor of them having worked hard enough in their lives and that they deserved the cheque from Theo's dad. They 100% deserved the cheque, I just needed a minute to understand why Theo's dad gave it to them in the end because it was a little bit out of his character in my opinion.

I also have to say that I am so grateful that this book didn't include the miscommunication trope which is objectively, one of the worst tropes ever. Every time something bad happened, it took less than a chapter for the characters to pull each other aside and talk about it.

For example, when Dylan thought Theo hated him after the wedding, he moped about it for maybe a chapter or two before yelling at Theo who then told him the truth about everything and it was resolved. And my favourite example, when Theo's dad gave Dylan the cheque, Dylan went first to Theo and explained everything including his thought process in how he made the decision to keep it. All I ask for in books is good communication in relationships and this book delivered

If you love stories about family owned restaurants and good communication between people in a relationship, then Fake Dates and Mooncakes is perfect. I need everyone to read this book right now.