You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston // Disappointing In Comparison to Preston's Other Books

You Will Be Mine, by Natasha Preston
Publication: February 6, 2018, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller
Pages: 292
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

Lylah and her friends can't wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chace, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She's been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way...
The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It's an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.
Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:
YOUR TURN

My Thoughts:

I really expected You Will Be Mine to be stunningly fabulous. After reading all of Natasha Preston's other books, I made the assumption that this book would be just as fabulous. Well, as you can see based on my rating of the story, I didn't think it was as enjoyable. To me, this was a really childish, teenager version of a psychological thriller or mystery story. There was no depth to the story for the most part, and if the ending wasn't as shocking or entertaining as it was, I surely would've given this a lower rating.

This story of Preston's features a group of university students living together in a home. There's Lylah, our protagonist, Chace, her crush, Sienna, her best friend, Sonny, Isaac, and Charlotte. Lylah has been dreading Valentine's Day approaching, and this is causing her to remember the past when her parents died on that day. When the group prepares for a party, the doorbell rings and a note sits on the doormat, addressed to Sonny. He never comes home after that, and eventually, more people become targets of this mysterious individual.

I guess what disinterested me in terms of this novel is the fact that this story seemed too good to be true.The police in this British imaginary world had no large role whatsoever until the end of the story where we discover the culprit, and it seemed as if the 'killer' was unstoppable. No traces were found. No one was suspicious. And our protagonist did all of the dirty work by tracking them down and doing dangerous things; I certainly do not think that attempting to solve the mystery in this manner would actually happen in reality. The mystery is obviously believable, but the way it was solved? Not so much. In fact, Lylah's attempt to go all Nancy Drew to find who the killer is was what made the book lack of any sort of entertainment. I felt a struggle to read the book from about the halfway mark towards the end. But let's just say that the ending made up for a lot of the negativity.

From all of the characters introduced, I believe that Natasha Preston made a great decision to choose Lylah to be the protagonist of her story. Lylah was the most flawed character from the group living in the home, which allowed me to see her as a realistic character, minus the sleuthing skills she somehow acquired. I appreciate the author writing about Lylah's struggles with anxiety and grief that she experienced in the past; it made the book so much better.

You Will Be Mine disappointed me, but then it redeemed itself to be a pretty good read. I am psyched to see what else Preston has in store for us thriller fanatics.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

Have you ever read a book with a Nancy Drew-like protagonist?

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds // An Important Read For All of Society

Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds
Publication: October 24, 2017, by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Poetry
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?

As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually used his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator?
Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.
And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator.

My Thoughts:

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds was an exhilarating, emotional read that really left a mark on me. It left a huge mark on me; it triggered sadness and emotions that I never knew existed. What must be also kept in mind is that it's written in verse, with miniature poems used as the form of writing and presenting the story of Shawn's. What I loved best about this story is its pacing, and the fact that I was able to finish reading it in about an hour and twenty minutes or so. Don't believe me? Go pick it up for yourself; it's unbelievable how quick its pacing is and how fast the entire story comes and ends.

The book focuses on a fifteen-year-old named Shawn and the aftermath of the shooting where his brother was killed. His character then spends the rest of the novel in an elevator, slowly making it towards the lobby/bottom floor as he meets people from his past, who have also died due to gun violence. It's really moving and touching, and a kind of story I will never forget. Especially in this time and age when these topics are popping up more and more in the media, it is important to read this kind of book. Even more importantly, it is necessary for teenagers to read these kinds of books.

Long Way Down was enjoyable, but that's simply it. It wasn't amazing, but it was a really special, unique read everyone should pick up.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say by Leila Sales // I Don't Understand the Problems

If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say, by Leila Sales
Publication: May 1, 2018, by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

We all want to be seen. We all want to be heard. But what happens when we’re seen and heard saying or doing the wrong things? What then?
When Winter Halperin—former spelling bee champion, aspiring writer, and daughter of a parenting expert—gets caught saying the wrong thing online, her life explodes. All across the world, people knows what she’s done, and none of them will forgive her.

With her friends gone, her future plans cut short, and her identity in shambles, Winter is just trying to pick up the pieces without hurting anyone else. She knows she messed up, but does that mean it’s okay for people to send her hate mail and death threats? Does she deserve to lose all that she’s lost? And is “I’m sorry” ever good enough?

First and foremost a novel about public shaming in the internet age, If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say is also an exploration of the power of words, the cumulative destructiveness of microaggressions, and the pressing need for empathy.

My Thoughts:

When I picked this book up, I was extremely hesitant because it seems that the entire bookish community is not really rooting for this book by Leila Sales. I am a HUGE Leila Sales, having read every book by her except for one, and when given the opportunity to read this new release, I was ecstatic. I was not aware that she would be releasing a new, heartwarming story in 2018, and discovering this was the best news. Then, I read some of the early reviews and I was afraid but skeptical. Leila Sales chose to write this book based on what is happening in our world today on social media and on the Internet. The topic of this book is very unique, however, it appears in reality everyday and affects all of our lives. Nevertheless, I completely support Leila Sales' decision to write about this, and we deserve to read a story about this topic. About racism and not realizing the consequences that our actions and words have. 

I obviously am not standing up for the comments that the protagonist, Winter Halperin, used. It was wrong for her to type that out (we obviously see the wrongness of the situation when Winter begins to lose everything she has ever had), however, this does not mean that Winter is an evil individual who deserves to be punished. In MY opinion, I see that Winter's character felt sorry for what she did, and, by the end of the novel, understood why her actions were wrong. I personally did not feel sorry for her (I don't think we were meant to feel that way — Leila Sales usually creates these kinds of characters), but just because I didn't feel sorry doesn't mean that this book is unacceptable. I just don't understand why some people are hating on this story for its theme and topic. It is about time that an author addresses this topic in a story, as it seems as if everyone has been ignoring it in the literary world. I personally enjoyed the topics explored in the writing.

For the first half of the story, I was intrigued and fascinated with the storyline and plot. The story is so unique that I'm pretty sure it cannot be compared to anything else. 2018 is the best time for this book to have been released, so I definitely think it's time for you to pick it up. When I got through to the second half, especially the part involving Winter's entrance to rehab and the relationship (which I don't think was necessary; let the girl focus on her emotions!) it fell short as I wasn't able to see where the story was really going. From the first half, I became aware of the fact that the story was about Winter learning how to deal with her mistakes, though I found that the plot dragged. Nonetheless, I totally recommend every bit of the story for a fresh read.

If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say was a great read to start off my summer vacation, and it truly is an important one. Go see that for yourself.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What are some other controversial YA novels?

The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet // Not What I Expected...

The House Swap, by Rebecca Fleet
Publication: May 22, 2018, by Pamela Dorman Books
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Drama
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

When Caroline and Francis receive an offer to house swap--from their city flat to a townhouse in a leafy, upscale London suburb--they jump at the chance for a week away from home, their son, and the tensions that have pushed their marriage to the brink.
As the couple settles in, the old problems that permeate their marriage--his unhealthy behaviors, her indiscretions--start bubbling to the surface. But while they attempt to mend their relationship, their neighbor, an intense young woman, is showing a little too much interest in their activities.
Meanwhile, Caroline slowly begins to uncover some signs of life in the stark house--signs of her life. The flowers in the bathroom or the music might seem innocent to anyone else--but to her they are clues. It seems the person they have swapped with is someone who knows her, someone who knows the secrets she's desperate to forget...

My Thoughts:

From the first time I saw this book and when I read its summary, I was intrigued. Intrigued to read a new psychological thriller, part of a genre which is becoming more and more popular to this day. I was also quite intrigued to read about this concept: house-swapping? I've never heard of anything like this, and you know, our world is getting really weird with these new concepts and ideas, such as cuddle buddies? There's literally an app where you can find someone near your location to cuddle with. WHAT? So obviously, house-swapping sounded absurd to me too, and I was so captivated to read a thriller about it. But, honestly? This book was solely about romance. Be warned: if you're seeking a well-written, suspenseful psychological thriller, this ain't it. It was definitely an entertaining story that had potential to become a really good thriller, however, it was lacking. 

The House Swap was about a British couple: Caroline and Francis, who have had serious issues in the past due to Francis' personal issues. The book switches back and forth between 2013, when Caroline had an affair with a man almost a decade younger than she is to compensate for the pain Francis has caused her, and 2015, when the couple decides to head out on a trip to a London suburb. While there, Caroline begins to receive creepy emails from an unknown sender, reminding her of her forgotten past. Additionally, the house she is staying in (house-swapped, remember?) seems oddly weird. 

So, initially, the premise sounds amazing—it really does. House-swapping, creepy messages and a sense of familiarity for the protagonist? I'm in. However, as mentioned earlier, this did not feature any major aspect of a story that can be classified as a crazy, mind-blowing "psychological thriller." It's not the kind of book where the readers have the ability to guess what will happen, or who is the person sending the creepy messages. It's impossible, we don't know anything. I would say that the majority of the novel's content was spent on talking about the marriage problems between Caroline and Francis, which for sure is a major point that should be focused on, but this took away from the mysterious vibe that the book was showed to have. Ugh. That really upset me.

I additionally must admit that the start of the story was quite slow. For the first half of the story, I was unable to picture why this would be a 'thriller.' Ultimately, we received hints and answers to everything (which was a twist I highly enjoyed), though, the plot caused me to lose interest for quite a while. However, the best part of the story were Fleet's characters. I felt that each of them: Carl, Caroline, Francis, and Amber, all had depth to them, and after concluding the story, I was able to identify the purpose of each of them and what role they held in the story and how they made this into an interesting domestic drama. That's what it really should be classified, instead of a thriller. 

To put everything straight: this book was not what I expected. DO NOT CALL THIS A THRILLER, it is an adult drama that certainly was entertaining, but not in a mystery/thriller aspect. I'm looking forward to reading more recent 'thrillers' and hoping that they do not follow this same pattern.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

Have you read a book that was classified under the wrong genre?

Changes in Latitudes by Jen Malone // *shrugs*

Changes in Latitudes, by Jen Malone
Publication: July 25, 2017, by HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

All Cassie wants is to get some solid ground under her feet following the shock of her parents’ divorce. So when she learns of her mom’s plans to take Cassie and her brother, Drew, on a four-month sailing trip from Oregon to Mexico, she’s stunned. There is absolutely nothing solid about the Pacific Ocean.
Cassie is furious. And nervous. It’s been hard enough keeping Drew sheltered from what Cassie knows about her mother’s role in breaking their family apart, but living in such close quarters threatens to push her anger past its tipping point.
Enter Jonah, a whip-smart deckhand who’s as gorgeous as he is flirtatious. Cassie tries to keep him at a distance, but the more time they spend together—wandering San Francisco, riding beachside roller coasters, and exploring the California coastline—the harder it is to fight the attraction.
Cassie wants to let herself go, but her parents’ split has left her feeling adrift in a sea of questions she can’t even begin to answer. Can she forgive her mom? Will home ever feel the same? Should she take a chance on Jonah? With life’s unpredictable tides working against her, Cassie must decide whether to swim against them…or dive right in.

My Thoughts:

Changes in Latitudes was expected to be amazing by me. I thought that I would adore it because I really enjoyed Jen Malone's Wanderlost, which was a traveller's dream story. Wanderlost made me feel as if I needed to read more contemporary romances and travel the world as much as possible. This story, however, was disappointing. I surely did enjoy it, however, I found that it was missing something... some concept/characters I would enjoy and learn from. Some content that I did not see before. Yes, the whole 'sailor' story was completely new, however I felt that the types of characters who were introduced were plain. Boring. 

This book featured a protagonist, Cassie, who explored a new pace of life as she began traveling by boat along the West Coast of America. WOW, RIGHT? And along the way, she stereotypically (and unsurprisingly) falls in love with Jonah - who introduces her to a world of fun, especially since her parents recently got divorced. Jen Malone takes us through San Francisco, Oregon, on the way to Mexico, which seems to be a reader's dream itinerary. I couldn't help but fall in love with the premise of this story, but what was lacking was a racing story that made me addicted. This was just a book that I can classify as "meh." I've read better things, more action-packed stories, but it is what it is.

Cassie was kick-butt. I loved her attitude and how she was all about trying to gain some kind of positivity in life. In the midst of her life, she is battling several demons, such as dealing with the fact that she was miles away from her friends and senior year. And then the romance with Jonah began and I just fell in love with everything the story was promoting. Although the ending was mediocre, I still liked it.

Changes in Latitudes was a book with a great story with a nice premise and set of characters (including the romance), but there were flaws that prevented me from really enjoying the book. Aside from the slow-moving of the story and the ending, I'd highly recommend this one. Grab it and head on a cruise ship, exploring the destinations as you sail around the world!

Are there any other YA books about traveling on the sea?

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum // Promising and... Good.

What to Say Next, by Julie Buxbaum
Publication: July 11, 2017, by Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 292
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

My Thoughts:

Julie Buxbaum's What to Say Next looks as promising a glass of iced, cold pink lemonade. No jokes. When I first saw its cover and read the summary, I discovered that this could be the cutest summer read ever. The word I can use to describe this book is "good." It surely was not amazing or phenomenal or *insert extremely positive adjective here* but hey — I enjoyed it. I loved the back-and-forth perspective change between the two protagonists, Kit and David, who were interesting, conflicted characters, who, by the end, I discovered were quite similar.

Buxbaum introduces us readers to this book by making it seem as if high school is like what we see it is in movies. That's acceptable; this is a chick-lit book, after all. However, learning who Kit and David really are helps us understand that everyone is conflicted in some sense - that we are all able to create different personalities that do not describe us well. Kit, the so-called popular girl at school who seems to be getting everything she wants in life, finds that her life completely changes when her father dies in a car accident. And everything starts crumbling. She finds that her friends are acting too fake, not wanting to address what actually happened, and that her mother is hiding more secrets about her and her father's relationship. 

Her life collapses until she starts to pay attention to the "weird" David Drucker. And I loved that David was Kit's remedy, and that she was his. That's the kind of love I want - the one that you do not expect and that fits so well in your life. Agh. I guess you can tell that I totally supported the characters' relationship and loved it.

But. 

There's always a but.

It felt forced. I felt that Kit kind of moulded herself into David's arms without really wanting to. Buxbaum wanted to create a relationship that was unlike others, so she put the 'weirdo and popular girl' together. And of course that will cause audiences to go mad and excited, because it's different than all of the other contemporaries out there. Yay for that - but meh. In addition, I was bored every now and then, which made me take around two weeks to finish this. *frowns*

What to Say Next makes me feel like I do not really know what to say next. It was DEFINITELY GOOD. I loved the concept and relationship, and aside from a few negative spots, I definitely recommend it.

*A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review. Thanks so much!*

What is the coolest, most atypical relationship you have seen in books recently?

Someone I Wanted to Be by Aurelia Wills // A Nice, Quick Read

Someone I Wanted to Be, by Aurelia Wills
Publication: September 6, 2016, by Candlewick Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher/BEA
Rating: ½

When an insecure teen starts impersonating someone else, her life spirals dangerously out of control in a realistic, relatable novel about finding yourself—and discovering your true friends.
Leah Lobermier dreams of becoming a doctor, but it’s hard to stay focused on getting good grades when boys make oinking sounds at her in school and her mother spends every night on the couch with a bottle of wine. Leah’s skinny and popular "friends," Kristy and Corinne, aren’t much better and can hardly be counted on for support When the girls convince a handsome older man to buy them beer, Leah takes his phone number and calls him, pretending to be Kristy—coy and confident—and they develop a relationship, talking and texting day after day. But as the lie she created grows beyond her control, can Leah put a stop to things before she—or Kristy—is seriously hurt?

My Thoughts:

For some peculiar reason, Someone I Wanted to Be is receiving so much hate on Goodreads, and I can't discern the real reason why. This definitely wasn't the best book I've read, but I enjoyed reading it and sensing a darker theme within. This book is about rebellious teenagers and definitely features mature themes dealing with alcohol and drugs, for some. I keep seeing middle grade books popping up as recommendations when I click on this, but just to warn you: this novel promotes terrible behaviour and it's not for young kids. It's a book that just makes me feel grateful for the situation I'm in. In the setting of Hilton, Colorado, it is easy to identify that the characters have all sorts of problems. The teenagers have curfews, and the police would even try to catch them if they're breaking it. They hang around gas stations, smoking and drinking hard lemonade. They hook up with older, creepy men. What I loved about this is that it just seems so real.

The book displays such mature themes that it breaks my heart. We see that the protagonist, Leah, has big dreams, but the environment around her is preventing her from following them. She wants to excel in Chemistry, become a doctor and try to leave her mother, Cindy, who is a grieving alcoholic. Leah is stuck in the worst situation ever. And all of the sudden, she tries to become someone she isn't. She is sick and tired of the constant bullying over her weight, the ignorance she receives from her friends, Kristy and Corinne, and decides that she wants to build a friendship with an older man who begins to form an obsession over Kristy. Basically, Leah pretends to be Kristy, and talks on the phone with this older guy. 

But things get creepy. The guy gets creepy. And naive Leah decides that she needs to save Kristy and herself from falling into the creepy guy's plan... whatever it is. 

Throughout the novel, we see a character development of Leah occurring, but at some moments, it dissipates. When Leah pretends to be Ashley (Kristy), she becomes more confident and comfortable with the social situation. When she is herself, her true self, she feels weak and shy, because there are numerous put-downs around her. But thanks to the characters that are introduced in the story like Carl (the possible love interest) and Anita (the new best friend), we see that she is able to come out of her shell and save Kristy and herself.

Aurelia Wills displays an important statement throughout the book: even though social hierarchies and popularity exist, one who is deemed to be popular may not have a perfect life, after all. We see that with Kristy's character, who looks like she has everything due to her physical looks, boys fawning over her and popularity, she has her own issues. Her mom is dying of cancer, and throughout most of the book, she seems to be running away from her problems by drinking. This is a powerful message.

Of course I had issues with this, however. I felt like I couldn't understand why Leah did what she did. She was an annoying character (at times) and it was kind of confusing as to why she would just develop the courage to meet up with this creepy guy at the nearby 7-Eleven. After I closed the book, I just sat around wondering why. What was the point of this all? Why did she have to put herself in danger? And I'm finding that this is a popular opinion because everyone on Goodreads is commenting on the same matter. I wish it was more explicit, because it kind of ruined my liking of the novel to a great extent.

Even though I had issues with the protagonist, this story is well worth a read. It features a concept that literally is horrifying - no one should pick on young girls like that. What I loved the most is that it was so real. 

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What do you think about the message this book promotes? Does it interest you?

The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan // A Cute Sequel. That's It.

The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily (Dash and Lily #2), by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Publication: October 18, 2016, by Knopf Books FYR
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 215
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: ½

Dash and Lily have had a tough year since they first fell in love among the shelves of their favorite bookstore. Lily’s beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition.
With only twelve days left until Christmas—Lily’s favorite time of the year—Dash, Lily’s brother Langston, and their closest friends must take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the unique holiday magic of a glittering, snow-covered New York City in December.

My Thoughts:

I have been waiting forever to read the sequel of Dash and Lily, and I finally got the chance a little after Christmastime this year, which is kind of depressing. The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily, however, was quite boring and uneventful compared to the first novel. I feel that this might be because it was released years after the first book stunned us. It has lost the magic, to be honest, and I feel bad saying this, implying that the sequel to an adorable contemporary romance novel was disappointing. 

Listen - 3.5 stars isn't bad. It isn't even terrible at all. It's just that I was expecting something more to come out of this. I wanted Dash and Lily to have a story that screamed out Christmas, hot cocoa, and gooeyness all together. But instead - NO. I was given a story about the two members of this lovely couple questioning their relationship, questioning all the time they have spent together. It was just lacking something, and I felt that the story as a whole was just filler and made to please the audience. It wasn't made as a continuation, because a continuation honestly wasn't needed.

So, as the title explains, this story takes place over a span of twelve days. Twelve days for the two main characters to discover who they are and what their relationship really means. It was cute, but I feel that New York City, the setting, was the reason why it was cute. I COULDN'T GET ENOUGH OF READING ABOUT ALL OF THE STREETS AND ATTRACTIONS AND AGH - it was glorious. I just loved the idea of reintroducing these characters for a short period of time again. It was like another season of Gilmore Girls - same idea and characters, simply made to please the fans.

"This is the funny thing about New York — there are so many things to do at all times of the day, but there are still moments when you have no idea which of them to do, and feel extra silly because you know there has to be something out there for you to do; your mind just hasn't found it yet" (180).

The plot was a little slow for me but I can admit that it was all because of the pacing. The story was meant to go by fast but the relationship's destruction slowly occurred and I just became confused. This surely had its good, swoony moments where I literally FELL for Dash, but I occasionally felt the need to read something else. However, Levithan and Cohn's writing is as gorgeous as always. I constantly feel these poetic vibes coming from every word and chapter.

If you are the BIGGEST fan of this series, then give this a go. If you liked it, but wasn't OBSESSED with it, then you may pass on this because, even though it was written nicely, there are better books out there, including better books by these two authors. I can admit that I missed both Dash and Lily, so this was a nice run-into.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is a sequel that is worth skipping?