I found the plot and characters of this book frustrating to follow, though the writing is what kept me reading. Like a few of the other works of the author's that I've read, Eddings seems to have an engaging writing style that has had me captivated each time. Didn't take me very long to read this book and I was reading a good chunk of characters at a stretch each time I picked it up.

Unfortunately, I didn't realise until after I finished reading that the story is interconnected with one of the author's books which I havent read- Tilly in Technicolor. I don't think not having that background really affected how much I understood this story though, and I think it can be read as a standalone.

Coming back to the characters, Cubby wasn't really working for me, and I couldn't bring myself to really like her for the entire read. From a distance, I could resonate with and understand how she felt, yet at times she came across as immature in how she dealt with the emotions that she felt so deeply. A lot of characters from teen and YA books too have more emotional maturity in how they communicate and go about things, so I wouldn't give a pass to the characters in this book for their childishness at times. I wish we saw more of the side characters and even the love interest of this story, but it was very centred around just Cubby.

Some scenes in this book just stood out to me with how beautiful they were put with raw emotion and vulnerability. Especially towards the end, I found a lot of the interactions to be meaningful and memorable. The bandmates seemed interesting enough characters and with these heart to hearts in the ending, I found myself craving more of them. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters of Harry and Kale, and if Eddings writes a book centering either of them, I'll very likely pick it up.

All in all, this book was a very mid read for me, and I think it may work for some while not for others.

I've read only one book by the author before and that is Boys Don't Cry. That 5 star read gave me high expectations for this book, but I was sorely disappointed. How this book got categorized as YA is seriously beyond me. There is far too much smut and spicy scenes in it for my liking. It is NOT age appropriate for younger readers, and a lot of descriptions are very explicit.

The plot of the story for the most part isn't that great. I didn't much enjoy the murder aspect of it and didn't like the conclusion to that plotline. Coming to the characters, I absolutely loathed Nathan. The added aspect of the romance being very insta love didn't sit right with me. At many points in the story, Nathan feels like a borderline rapist, which makes the book all the more frustrating to read. At many points I was stunned by his dialogues and behavior. I definitely hope such a character is not looked up to or idealized.

Only reason this book isn't getting a 1 star is the relationship between Aidan and Vee. It honestly broke me how that side of the story went, and I was in awe. A very emotional tearjerker for sure. Can't say a lot without spoiling things, but that sibling dynamic is what I hope I'll remember over the other parts of the story. If you read this book, read it only for this one relationship because even the plot twists that come with it are brilliant.