All my expectations were shattered when I delved into the pages of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things. It presented a perplexing scenario, where a remarkably young 13-14-year-old girl found herself entangled in a romantic connection with a man more than a decade her senior. While I understand that in times past, such arrangements were not uncommon, our modern world has evolved far beyond those norms. The unsettling age gap and the increasingly explicit nature of their relationship made it impossible for me to continue reading. I felt as though the book was attempting to justify the actions of pedophiles, as it seemed to suggest that Wavy’s feelings of “love” somehow made it acceptable for a 13-year-old to engage in sexual acts with a 24-year-old man. This narrative did not resonate with me, and I struggle to comprehend how others perceive it as a profound tale of love. It does not reflect a genuine love story.