dnf @ 22%

Okay... I’m going to say this in the nicest way possible, but the writing felt a little too “try hard” for me. It wanted to be quirky and bold, but it never really clicked. Even something as small as how often the word “unapologetic” was used in the first few chapters started pulling me out of the story.

She rolled her eyes and gave him a sarcastically queenly wave

I’m sorry, but lines like this just came across as cringey to me. I completely understand what the author was trying to do with Raina’s character, and I absolutely love reading about strong, confident, independent women. But for me, the writing didn’t quite support the image it was trying to create.

I also couldn’t connect with either the characters or the romance. Something just felt... missing. Not only from Raina as a character, but from their relationship as a whole. It was way too insta-love for my liking. You could honestly call it love at first sight, especially from his side. From their very first interaction, he was laying it on incredibly thick while also refusing to admit his feelings, and I just couldn’t buy into it.

It was clear the author was aiming for the idea that they “see” each other in a way no one else does, and I can appreciate that intention. Unfortunately, I never felt that connection myself, so the romance didn’t work for me.

That said, I really appreciate what the author was trying to do with this story, and I have no doubt that many autistic women will see themselves in Raina and connect with her journey. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, if I’d known this book was going to be a love triangle... or more like a love square if we count the engagement situation, I definitely wouldn’t have picked it up in the first place. So maybe I’m already coming into this with a bias because I really don’t like this trope. Unfortunately, I also didn’t end up caring much about any of the characters.

Rosie’s main love interest is clearly supposed to be Nick in this book, but there’s also something going on with Maxwell, Nick’s cousin, and I don’t see that being left unaddressed after the way this book ended.

Maybe I would’ve liked Nick more if we’d gotten his POV, but as it stands, I really didn’t like him. The constant push and pull between him and Rosie drove me insane. He’d kiss her, then immediately push her away. Then he’d go spend time with his "would-be" fiancée because he HAD to, only to come back and tell Rosie that he’s technically not engaged yet and it’s all just a political arrangement. I genuinely could not care less. Either stand by your decision and fight to be with her or leave her alone.

The thing that frustrated me the most was that he never actually chose Rosie. He kept waiting until the easiest way out presented itself instead of making the hard decision himself. And do you know what Rosie tells Maxwell she wants? To be chosen. At this point, I’d be really disappointed if Nick is the endgame. He needs some serious character development in the next books if he really is the endgame, because this wasn’t it.

I actually liked Maxwell the most out of everyone. He had more personality but I also didn’t buy his feelings for Rosie either. There were hints throughout the book, but I never really understood WHY he liked her. At least with Nick, they have history. With Maxwell, it felt like his feelings came out of nowhere.

The last 20% was absolute whiplash. There were so many twists packed into such a short amount of time that I barely had time to process one before the next one happened.

And I really have no idea who’s going to be the endgame. At the beginning I would’ve confidently said Nick. Then I switched to Maxwell. And after that ending... I honestly don’t know. Rosie says she loves Nick, so there’s that, but Maxwell just comes across as the more interesting character right now.

That ending was also not what I expected at all. I do feel like there’s more to it, though, or maybe it’s just one big misunderstanding.

Will I read the next book? I honestly don’t know. Part of me wants to stay far away because I have zero interest in love triangles, no matter how well they’re written. The other part of me has this terrible habit of needing to know how things are going to end once I’ve already started a series... even when I’m not really liking it. 😭 So I guess we’ll see.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this one, particularly Gin and Sidney. It was really nice to have main characters I actually liked. The ending makes me think there will be a sequel, and I would definitely be interested in continuing the series. My biggest issue was the writing style. It just wasn’t for me, and it made it really difficult to get into the story at first. It did get easier once I got more familiar with the world, but I still never fully clicked with the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.