If I said I didn't like this book, I'd be lying. The romance wasn't obvious straight away (I did guess it at the beginning, but solely because of my love for "enemies" to lovers, I think. "Enemies" because I'm not quite sure if one would classify a classmate you don't like as an enemy. Light spoiler here, I think) and it didn't have the same vibe as the books I usually read. Technically, it's the exact same: it's young adult, it's gay, more specifically sapphic... okay, I don't know how to explain, so I'll be straightforward. (This review ironically uses the word 'straight' too many times for a gay ass book.)
One of my favorite things about it is the way Smyth worked with the relationship dynamics here: it's incredibly diverse in that sense, going from romantic crushes to friendships to parent-child dynamics, in a way that doesn't turn any of the characters villains! Sure, there are antagonists, and you do feel angry at several people throughout the narrative, but they're portrayed as complex, multifaceted and flawed, just like people actually are, which was certainly appreciated. Except Aideen's father. He can straight up fuck off, and I like this book a tiny little less because he wasn't held accountable for... being a shitty person, basically.
The plot is also fantastic: the idea of a high school girl solving other people's problems because she can do it instead of solving her own is just amazing; it was why I picked up this book (alongside the fact that there were gays in it, of course) and it didn't disappoint. I adore the characters so much, from Aideen, Meabh and Kavi themselves to the secondary ones, that my brain's demanded so many spin-offs... Anyways, I loved it and I could beg for more for a lot of time, so I'm going to stop here. However, when this book releases, YOU BETTER READ IT. May 25. Mark the date!
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