for the most part, i enjoyed the writing and pacing and character growth. i just don’t love wealth, even when it’s in the hands of marginalized folks; i don’t care that a Black queer woman is buying her partner a tesla when musk sucks and there’s such a wealth disparity in san francisco. i also wanted a little more with the sapphic romance—we see clover and beth interacting a few times but are told that they’re constantly texting, and i know it’s silly but i wanted to see the texting. i’m demisexual, i love the conversations and the falling in love.

that said, i will definitely continue reading books by this author, and im glad there are increasingly more bipoc holiday books out there. i’m writing a long review here because im probably not going review on ig.