I had no idea what to expect going into this except that it was sapphic (and by Casey McQuiston, of course). So, it was surprising that there was actually a mystery element to this story (though, I would’ve come to that conclusion a lot quicker had I actually read the postscript on the cover, oops). I really enjoyed the little bit of lighthearted mystery incorporated into the novel and the way we were able to explore the multi-faceted nature of the characters through this.

The characters were well-written and I really got attached to them. I especially enjoyed watching Smith’s journey to find himself. Chloe and Shara were both very flawed but I think that made them more realistic, even if it did have me wanting to pull my hair out at some points because they frustrated me.

The romance was cute, I liked the academic rivals to lovers trope that was integrated with the finding-yourself and coming-of-age components.

The exploration of identity and queerness in a religious community was interesting and I definitely think many queer teenagers in similar scenarios may find comfort in this book, which warms my heart.

Overall, it was a Casey McQuiston classic. Everyone was very gay, the couple was cute and the characters loveable. It was a really fun read and I would recommend!