This book was a masterclass in writing a fun friends-to-lovers. I usually get pissed at the number of these novels that feature kids, like, how about some legit adults and not just zygotes??? But Lainey and Theo were SO fun and SO drunk on each other, that their youth felt perfect. I lolled A LOT. They really embodied the ‘hot girl’ and ‘underdog’ (also ‘hick’ and ‘normie’ then later on ‘lady’ and her ‘knight’) without turning those tropes into caricatures. These two were completely likeable and authentic and sexual and hot.
The writing didn’t repeat or dumb it down. It had me looking things up … like wait, snipe hunting?? freelance repo people?? scholarships for band?? Uh… ghostin’ the whip??? 🤯
Likes: the mfc/mmc were committed by the midpoint, so a lot of the story was devoted to letting us feel the feels. Also I love clingy inseparable love. Dislikes: the female narrator, the man should have read the whole thing. One last observation, women who hated this beta male must hate looking in the mirror. This author wrote Theo exquisitely by giving him romantic heroine traits.