Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. 

Going into the book, all I knew was that it started as Reylo fanfiction (at times this is pretty obvious) and that it featured a violinist and cellist. I was excited for the musical aspect and I do think it’s the part that shines through the most to me. A lot of Gwen and Xander/Alex's communication is through their music and they are in a constant conversation when they’re creating and performing with one another and I thought that was so well done. 

I don’t think I realized our characters, particularly Gwen, were so young. Like I get that she’s 22 and that in the context of the story she needs to be young and naive for the plot to progress the way it does and for the villains to exploit her the way they do, but it just left me frustrated and wanting more growth from her. 

But what completely threw me was the 3rd act breakup and its pacing. I felt like it came in pretty late into the book, so the conflict and its resolution are rushed and not satisfying. 

While it was not my favorite read I do think my reading experience (listening to its playlist as I read) played a big part in my enjoyment of this book and its ultimate rating.