I somehow loved this more than the first book in the series! The way Talia Hibbert discusses mental health and the challenges that can contribute to in a relationship was really well done. I also appreciated how the sex scenes really added to the development of the main characters and their relationship instead of only being about sex.

3.5 stars

This is one of my new favorite books of all time. It's so well crafted while still being relatively accessible and easy to read. It has so much depth in both characters and themes. This has a perfectly paced plot that is never boring, but still allows time to develop the characters and the world. This has so much to say about capitalism, abandonment, love, hope, forgiveness, colonialism, environmentalism and the way space travel amplifies some of these things. I don't wan't to get too specific and risk spoilers so, if you like sci-fi (especially queer sci-fi) or even character driven books in general, you NEED to pick this up!

This was the character driven fantasy I've been looking for my whole life! The writing is whimsical and simple, but so effective. I am deeply attached to all of these characters and the found family they form is everything. The world had just enough detail to serve the story. I cried so many times while reading this that I've lost count. This is a book about overcoming prejudice and creating spaces for those who have live their lives believing that they're incapable of being loved because they are different. It's about learning to live the life you actually want instead of just surviving and finding acceptance and love where we least expect it. This book is filled with hope and love and happiness when many in the world its set in believe that shouldn't be possible for anyone who doesn't fit their idea of 'normal'. I will never forget these characters or this book and I'm grateful to have had the chance to read it.

I don't really know how to articulate my feelings for this book other than to try to express how I felt reading it. I cried and laughed and cried while also smiling. I was nostalgic for high school, but for high school experiences I never had like going to parties, going to prom, dating a girl. I was so happy for Liz and all the joy she gets to experience in this book and how she learns to let herself feel that joy even though there are experiences and circumstances in her life that suck. I also deeply related to Liz's desire to be known, loved, and accepted for her true and complete self instead of an act meant to cater to others' views of who she is or who she should be. It's also about Liz learning that she may not have seen the full picture of who other people are. No one in this book is solely defined by a shallow stereotype, even if Liz doesn't see that at first. I didn't know Liz had anxiety going into this and I also appreciated seeing that. I was not expecting to love this as much as I did because I have little to no interest in all the ceremony around prom, but this was so much more than that. I'm so glad this is a book that exists, especially for teens who feel like they don't exactly fit into society's expectations of who gets to be popular or accepted.

This story really has a way of making me so happy, but also making me cry. I loved seeing how much Bitty grows and changes compared to where he was at the beginning. I will definitely continue to reread this at least as long as I'm in college. And maybe after for nostalgia because I can already tell that I will always associate this story with being in college.

This was a very quick and engaging read! I connected to the main character and love interest on a surprisingly emotional level to the point that I literally cried multiple times. The plot made sense based on the established characters and avoided being overly dramatic without feeling like nothing was happening. If your looking for an adult romance with emotional depth, I would highly recommend this one!