by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
YA Romance, 2021 by Quill Tree Books, 448 Pages
What I Didn’t Like:
- In the first installment, I liked both voices equally. In this one, Ben was harder to connect to for some reason. It made this one harder for me to appreciate because half the POV chapters felt like a struggle.
- Again with the pop culture references. I’m reading this after publication by quite a bit so it really dates the story, which is what I worried would happen.
- Unpopular opinion: the epilogue was not needed. I would’ve preferred to end on the happily-for-now, imagine-how-the-future-could-look ending.
What I Did Like:
- The realism for most of the book is great. Other relationships, miscommunications, friends, and making time for each other mostly to prove you can do the friend thing is all relatable.
- As it was in the first one, this is mildly predictable and follows an almost formulaic plot. That being said, gay contemporary romance doesn’t get that often so it actually works because of that.
- The romance is adorable. Captures the first (second?) love well and fits the story being told.
Who Should Read This One:
- Contemporary romance fans who want cute gay stories with second chance romances.
- Fans of the first one who want more of these two.
Leave a Reply