I was actually really surprised by this book! I didn't expect to relate to it so much, having never been a marching band kid (I don't even know if we have them in Australia?), but aside from that I resonated with Yasmín's journey so much and saw my younger self in her. I think I would've loved this a lot if I'd read it at the age Yasmín is in the novel and may have helped me understand myself and my outlook on the world a bit better. I despised Sofia from the start, though, and it did get a bit painful and frustrating to see Yasmín constantly go out of her way to try and appease her, but it was understandable as I'd definitely done similar things for "friends" at the same age. I liked how that part of the story all resolved, though, but I won't say more so I don't give too much away.

I really liked the aro ace rep. I maybe would've liked some more explicit language or more obvious understanding of these by Yasmín, though I was glad we got explicit use of those labels through Bloom. I think the little romance storyline was a bit out of the blue, though, and maybe the nuances of this needed to be explained more. I also loved the casual queerness of a lot of the characters, too, and how everyone was able to be themselves.

The writing was a little cringey at times, but  only in the way that teenagers are inherently cringe so I think if I were closer to the target demographic, I wouldn't have noticed it so much. It read a little on younger end of YA but that didn't really bother me as I enjoyed the storyline, but might factor into some peoples' enjoyment.

I noticed a few (ARC) reviews mentioned Quidditch references in this book, but I don't recall any so these may have been edited out for those that don't want those references in their books.

I think this is a great coming-of-age novel for teenagers, particularly those who are band or music kids, questioning their sexuality, or looking for good queer rep (or all three!).