I liked this a lot more than i thought i would! I think its possibly because the character growth is a main component of the story and i tend to like that. Its plot driven but the main character's personal internal struggles and development over time is just as present as the plot and the love story is also a bit more of a subplot. I honestly really enjoyed most of what this book did. 

Its not my usual genre, although i am trying to branch out via these Pagebound quests and they are doing the job!!  I would say the main thing that initially bothered me about this book is just the wealth. In 2026, i really would prefer not to read about characters with billions with a B to their name. However, i was already coming into this book knowing it was supposed to be funny, knowing it was supposed to be exaggerated ("camp"), and knowing its not my usual genre so i planned to just not take it too seriously. And honestly it was a pretty good book. 

I related a lot to both Mikey and Annabelle actually, so i was able to connect to them as characters quite easily. Despite the wealth, i did have enough sympathy for Mikey to root for him from the start. His initial shitty behaviour is laced with this self awareness and loneliness that i could relate to and i saw in it the possibility of growth. And i was satisfied in the way he overcame his insecurities by the end. I also had fun with the mystery.  I admit i saw some people complaining about it before i started reading, but honestly i really enjoyed the mystery. It felt like the perfect balance of setting things up so readers had clues but i was guessing and theorizing most of the way to the conclusion. I say this as someone who doesn't read a lot of mystery though, so maybe thats why it wasn't too predictable for me.

Despite me not knowing most of the pop culture references, the most annoying ones are pretty early on in the book and i'd say they're only annoying bc i felt like a few of them were over explained (and funnily enough they were the few i did get haha) But thats not true for the entire book, and they serve an important part of Mikey's personality. Overall they were well placed and not knowing them didn't detract from the reading experience considering most of the other characters don't get them either 😂 

Sorry if my rating is unfair considering i don't read this genre a whole lot, sometimes i don't do a star rating at all if i know i'm not the target audience for a book. But i really did enjoy this one despite not expecting to so i think i can give it a rating. Maybe not too long from now i'll know enough about my taste in contemporary fiction genres to pick books out without the help of a quest! I'd read more from this author too, i think. 

Also side notes that didn't factor into the rating: the paperback copy i got from my library has a cover that is so razor sharp i could probably cut myself on any one of its edges or corners. 

And also i grew up visiting family at a lake not that much further north than the one in this book so the nature felt extra immersive to me which was a nice bonus 🥰 Its also nothing fancy despite what it sounds like. Family owning property on the lakeside yes but our camp situation was much more similar to the cabins in this book than what Mikey grew up with 😂 In fact i don't think we had ac units at all. We got a shower in like i think 2018 or something like that lmao. Rip the peeling brick pattern linoleum bathroom floors, you are still missed 🙏🏻

i could reread this over and over again (which i did) and never get tired