Oof. This one will stay with me, even if only for the emotions it caused. And I’m saying this as someone who very rarely cries while reading; I wept.

This is a beautiful, realistic and intriguing slow burn that perfectly captures the messiness of childhood best friends to lovers. I couldn’t put the book down, simply because of how much Alex loved Jules.

The story showed the life of the characters over the span of several years while they grew up (18 to 25). It explores how they react to different personalities, difficult situations, and whatever life has to offer. So it felt very character-driven (also with lots of interesting side characters) and I’m wondering even if there was a plot at all, at least not in the usual romance sense. It also had a slower beginning, but at no point was it boring. It still had a strong push and pull that moved the story forward. I never quite knew what was going to happen next or what I was supposed to look forward to, which made it feel kind of slow. But I don’t think it actually was, because the scenes were on the shorter side and there was always something happening (either something amusing or absolutely heartbreaking). It’s just not what I am used to in plot-driven romances, I suppose. And this is one of those books where I didn’t mind the time jumps. In fact, they were definitely necessary to keep me interested.

I loved the tension between the love interests.

If I had to criticize something, I’d say that the prose could be a little tighter and I would’ve loved to read more scenes or have less things told in retrospect. The getting together also felt a little bit rushed or not shown enough of. But honestly, compared to how much I loved the rest, this does not hold much weight. I’m imagining that getting the pacing right for this kind of story is immensely difficult, so me wanting to have a little bit more is probably the right outcome.

Let me leave you with a quote:

But tonight, it somehow doesn’t hurt as much. It makes me wonder if I’m finally starting to be okay with the fact that the type of love I feel for her isn’t the same as the love she feels for me. Or maybe I’m just numb. I can’t seem to tell the difference anymore.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.