I'm so glad I picked up this book when I did, because it reminded me of everything I love about reading. It's complex and heartrending; sometimes it was a bit hard to keep track of all the minor characters, but all the main characters were dynamic and compelling and so, so human.

Non-linear timelines can be either the best or worst thing ever, and in this one they're very well utilized. The ending, I thought, struck the perfect tone—I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to mark for spoilers and I have a feeling I'll want to reread and rediscover it.

The sailing aspect of the plot helps this book stand out from the other summer romance with side of shady past novels. Funny that

Spoiler

they all turned out to be seeking/hiding different secrets

. I identified most with Kate, but I loved Ashley best.

The tone and everything didn't really seem affected by the alleged Great Depression setting, though maybe that was intentional? Nick's great and Kiki's adorable, but I didn't get much more out of this story than a fairly typical heterosexual romance.

Minus points for the

Spoiler

mother is actually evil but saves her

trope; it was otherwise wonderfully original. I also really liked how limited Zev's role/romantic involvement actually was.

Oooh, Kyle was dreamy <3 He reminded me a bit of Max's Fang, though that could just be the

Spoiler

running off alone for everyone else's safety thing

. Jason was an idiot, but it's hard to totally hate him.

I dunno, man. The premise was fascinating - a perfume that empowers women? Hell yes. But the plot, the characters, the writing - something was too flat for my liking.

The premise was promising, but I didn't feel that the long-winded explanatory/descriptive paragraphs were really necessary. Ambiguous morals (case in point: eBay) are a risky play if your protagonist is supposed to be a sympathetic character, though it does make for an interesting one.

It would've been better if she was younger than 17: too naive, trusting, even a bit desperate. It was obvious how manipulative and controlling he was, and she seemed stronger than she acted.

The cover and summary were misleading. The story itself, though, I did enjoy. There were plenty of far-out moments, though, and I wasn't really a fan of Danny or his narrative role.