DNF @ 17%

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this. I was initially intrigued by the premise of a school guidance counselor and teacher, as well as the social media alter ego bit. It seemed cute. However, I struggled with the pacing and the circumstances of the novel. Things seemed to start off really slow for me and I just didn't feel hooked in by the characters or any kind of conflict. I found it hard to believe that the main characters acted the way they did. While it's reasonable that the FMC used her social media page to encourage her personal growth, the difference between that persona and her real-life identity were too stark for me. I was very surprised by her immaturity, especially for a guidance counselor, who needs to be a stable and trustworthy person. The "anonymous friends on social media find each other in real life" trope is definitely not one of my favorites as I find that it's often a huge stretch of the imagination. However, I feel that it can be done well (ie: Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood) when the main characters' personalities align better with the online identity. Overall this was just falling too short for me and couldn't keep my interest. Where others found humor and quirkiness, I was just seeing cringeworthiness and immaturity. I'm sure this would make for a good fluffy rom-com for someone else but it wasn't the right fit for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.