apairofducks's reviews
381 reviews

A collection of fill-in-the-blank tropes in a trench coat masquerading as a novel. 
Corson refuses to transition between any moments, skipping weeks to month at a time and denying readers the chance to see any development. Each scene serves the sole purpose of playing out a fanfiction trope— there was only one bed, mistaken-for-a-couple, wedding dates, etc etc— and each scene immediately time skips past any potential for development to get to the next Taylor Swift reference. 
The pacing baffled. I couldn’t tell when the climax of the story was happening because climactic things kept happening without ever feeling complete. Charlie’s friends called her out, the Caribou lost a game, Alexa got injured— none of these felt like they came at quite the right time in the story, which made the novel drag. 

The actual climax in particular was a grueling read. I don’t know why YA authors feel the need to write love confessions/make-ups happening on-stage, mid-performance, but we need to end this trend now. Watching Charlie skate onto the ice in Frankie’s place and give a monologue made me want to DNF, and there was probably 25 pages left in the book.

I do not recommend this book. 

There were parts of this book that I liked, but I don’t think it utilized the reality TV part enough! I never fully understood how the show worked or what they were being graded on, which was a shame because I love the concept of these characters falling in love on a reality dating show. 

I was worried, for a moment, how this book would go. It’s difficult to pace a book when you’ve got two storylines going because you’ve got to move them at a different pace. Events that your storytelling muscles tell you should happen at 100 pages—

like Alice having her “I’m a vampire” realization

— are happening at 200 pages. The book, however compelling I found Sabine, dragged. 
But the second half.

Once Sabine met Charlotte, I really felt like the pacing was picking up, although I found Sabine the most compelling character to follow throughout the book anyway.

The second half was VE Schwab at their finest. Messy, complicated characters and lovely words and stunning choices that left me breathless. 
If you’re struggling with the pacing the first 200 pages, I understand. And normally I hate to say “just wait! it’ll pick up!” But I think this book is really, really worth it. 

What a gorgeous, thoughtful, complicated book. 

This book was so sweet— the aro/ace book that we’ve needed. Some moments were a little too tumblr-esque for my taste, and I am a Taylor Swift-hater, but I forgive it. 

This was a 4 star review until the last 10 percent. I was having so much fun (as a former theater kid myself), and I really enjoyed the characters. Any issues I had were minor enough that they didn’t ruin my reading experience.  
But those last couple chapters. 

I almost DNFed when Jackson BROKE CHARACTER MID-SHOW to apologize to Liam? Imagine being in that audience. Imagine being in the wings, watching some BACKUP ACTOR join the show 5 minutes before it starts and then use it to apologize to his crush??? I would be baffled and upset and everything that this cast, for whatever ineffable reason, is not. The theater teacher doesn’t even care! She just has an “oh you crazy kids” moment! I have never hated a choice more in my life. I’ve never had an author ruin their book for me so efficiently in the last ~30 pages.

If you decide to read this book, skip the ending and make up your own resolution. 

🥺

I did not get this book.