⚠️ Light spoilers in third and fourth paragraph.

This is the first book I've read by V. E. Schwab and while I've expected to like her writing and this story in particular, it ended up being even more emotional than anticipated.

I left my small town to go study abroad and that made me Addie: I traded my soul for what I thought will be a better life, just to become an exotic but forgettable face in a foreign world. Many people don't understand how much a privilege it is to be able to build a life where you were born and not have to leave to survive.

Somehow, I've also been Henry. I've grown up in a family which had high expectations that could never be fulfilled. Just like him, that pressure made me search for my call for long and not feeling enough at any job or interpersonal relationship. It's the pressure that makes us weight whether we want the burden of our life each day.

And then there's their relationship, one where you have to face that the clock is ticking for the other one and prepare for their departure. Where you try to live your best life together while you're both here and you know it won't last long.

I short, this is a book of how life looks for many of us, limited and painful at times but also infinite and rich when we live and love in the moment.

I listened to this in audiobook format narrated by Julia Whelan. Her voice was a great match for the story and I've enjoyed it a lot.