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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
oh wow, so much to unpack here!
ima try and leave a very honest review.
first off some negative things that stuck out to me:
- i missed some depth in the characters. i feel like we didnt get to know much abt them aside from what was necessary for the plot. more scenes like jo asking their moms to pick them up or sophies talks with professor fineman; stuff like that to show us what theyre actually like
- as a non-native speaker and also someone who never went to an american highschool- some abbreviations were confusing to me. i wouldve loved it if thered been an index or sth so i could just go back there to remind myself what it stands for
- i wouldve liked to read some more convos. i feel like they were summarised most of the times and i feel like writing some of them out wouldve given us a better picture of what the characters are like. or maybe some inner monologues about something off-topic, f.e. their weird hobbies/quirks. all the “unimportened information” no one would ask to know about
and heres what made me give this book 5 stars:
- aro AND ace characters???? a-spec rep???? 99.9% queer!! (we love and see you, theo) im soo happy
- a FRIENDSHIP thats the main plot? cant remember the last time i read a book abt a non-romantic main plot, this made me soooo happy!
- it feels so relatable! thoughts, concerns, insecurities.
- the characters are soooo cute, i was literally squeeling at times, i feel a little silly
- the acc-idea is soooo good! especially since most a-spec ppl i know end up in a weird relationship-adviser position not knowing why anyone wants suggestions from THEM of all people. and honestly all the thoughts and explanations in the story are so on point. i was just happy reading about all of this
- this whole story is just a hppy vibe. idk how to explain it, its just wholesome
- the bracelet scene???? i was a sobbing mess!!
- and when they talked about how its hard when your identity is basically about NOT having/experiencing something? i felt soo seen! this is a convo ive had quite a couple of times!
- a friend of mine asked me once why most ppl were understanding when a person went through a breakup. like how theyre all “its okay to be really heartbroken, take your time. of course i wont judge if you dont leave ypur bed for three days! its gonna be okay. itll take time but it will be okay, dont worry!” but when being told that someone is going through a friend-breakup its more of a “dont be a baby about it, you’ll find another friens”. and honestly, it stuck with me. friendships or any type of love can be a reason for a heartbreak. it doesnt have to be romantical to hurt very bad. and i feel like the strength of platonic relationships was really well represented within this story, how important and valid they are.
- this feels closest to another aroace person reassuring me that im not alone in the way im feeling that ive had this far. it feels like the a-spec community is finally finding thir ways to one another and its making me so happy
- lastly—i just have to mention it—the acknowledgment was so cute. i feel like that was a very sincere note and i loved it!
so yeah, thats my review! definitely would recommend! i loved the book and i hope to see more work by Ann Zhao soon!
ima try and leave a very honest review.
first off some negative things that stuck out to me:
- i missed some depth in the characters. i feel like we didnt get to know much abt them aside from what was necessary for the plot. more scenes like jo asking their moms to pick them up or sophies talks with professor fineman; stuff like that to show us what theyre actually like
- as a non-native speaker and also someone who never went to an american highschool- some abbreviations were confusing to me. i wouldve loved it if thered been an index or sth so i could just go back there to remind myself what it stands for
- i wouldve liked to read some more convos. i feel like they were summarised most of the times and i feel like writing some of them out wouldve given us a better picture of what the characters are like. or maybe some inner monologues about something off-topic, f.e. their weird hobbies/quirks. all the “unimportened information” no one would ask to know about
and heres what made me give this book 5 stars:
- aro AND ace characters???? a-spec rep???? 99.9% queer!! (we love and see you, theo) im soo happy
- a FRIENDSHIP thats the main plot? cant remember the last time i read a book abt a non-romantic main plot, this made me soooo happy!
- it feels so relatable! thoughts, concerns, insecurities.
- the characters are soooo cute, i was literally squeeling at times, i feel a little silly
- the acc-idea is soooo good! especially since most a-spec ppl i know end up in a weird relationship-adviser position not knowing why anyone wants suggestions from THEM of all people. and honestly all the thoughts and explanations in the story are so on point. i was just happy reading about all of this
- this whole story is just a hppy vibe. idk how to explain it, its just wholesome
- the bracelet scene???? i was a sobbing mess!!
- and when they talked about how its hard when your identity is basically about NOT having/experiencing something? i felt soo seen! this is a convo ive had quite a couple of times!
- a friend of mine asked me once why most ppl were understanding when a person went through a breakup. like how theyre all “its okay to be really heartbroken, take your time. of course i wont judge if you dont leave ypur bed for three days! its gonna be okay. itll take time but it will be okay, dont worry!” but when being told that someone is going through a friend-breakup its more of a “dont be a baby about it, you’ll find another friens”. and honestly, it stuck with me. friendships or any type of love can be a reason for a heartbreak. it doesnt have to be romantical to hurt very bad. and i feel like the strength of platonic relationships was really well represented within this story, how important and valid they are.
- this feels closest to another aroace person reassuring me that im not alone in the way im feeling that ive had this far. it feels like the a-spec community is finally finding thir ways to one another and its making me so happy
- lastly—i just have to mention it—the acknowledgment was so cute. i feel like that was a very sincere note and i loved it!
so yeah, thats my review! definitely would recommend! i loved the book and i hope to see more work by Ann Zhao soon!
such a sweet read, platonic love is one of my absolute favorite things and I love the historically women’s college representation :)
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An enjoyable platonic love story!
I did have some gripes. A big one is that the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out and distinguishable. For most of the book I couldn't keep track of who was Wanda and who was Wendy. Sophie and Jo's voices didn't feel very distinct, and as a result I kept forgetting who was who. The side characters, Lianne, Katy, Izzy, and Priya, also blurred together for me.
The Internet rivalry did feel like a bit much sometimes, but I'm someone who tries to be as Offline as possible so maybe if you're more online, you won't mind it.
Overall, a worthwhile addition to the aroace canon. Looking forward to Zhao's future books. I'm hopeful some of the weaknesses of this book were due to it being a debut, and future writing will continue to improve.
I did have some gripes. A big one is that the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out and distinguishable. For most of the book I couldn't keep track of who was Wanda and who was Wendy. Sophie and Jo's voices didn't feel very distinct, and as a result I kept forgetting who was who. The side characters, Lianne, Katy, Izzy, and Priya, also blurred together for me.
The Internet rivalry did feel like a bit much sometimes, but I'm someone who tries to be as Offline as possible so maybe if you're more online, you won't mind it.
Overall, a worthwhile addition to the aroace canon. Looking forward to Zhao's future books. I'm hopeful some of the weaknesses of this book were due to it being a debut, and future writing will continue to improve.
- 3.75 stars-
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to access this book in exchange for an honest review!
I think the concept of Sophie and Jo’s growing friendship versus their growing rivalry as Wendy and Wanda is hilarious! And for those who are searching for themselves in a story and haven’t quite found it yet, this might be the book for them. I identified as ace for the better part of 8 years before finding that that was not in fact the case, but during that time, I think I would have found comfort in this book and dreamed of a friendship like Jo and Sophie’s. At this stage in my life, there were parts of this I could have passed on, namely the parts that tend to fall into that buzz-wordy category a lot of my recent reads have landed in, but given the purpose of the book, I think this was to be expected, so I won’t fault it for that.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to access this book in exchange for an honest review!
I think the concept of Sophie and Jo’s growing friendship versus their growing rivalry as Wendy and Wanda is hilarious! And for those who are searching for themselves in a story and haven’t quite found it yet, this might be the book for them. I identified as ace for the better part of 8 years before finding that that was not in fact the case, but during that time, I think I would have found comfort in this book and dreamed of a friendship like Jo and Sophie’s. At this stage in my life, there were parts of this I could have passed on, namely the parts that tend to fall into that buzz-wordy category a lot of my recent reads have landed in, but given the purpose of the book, I think this was to be expected, so I won’t fault it for that.
Amazing! I definitely need to go buy this for my shelf, Ana other great addition to the aroace rep
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a lovely book with realistic aroace representation. i loved the discussion the characters were having on love, beauty standards, loneliness, societal expectations, etc. it was a good book and it made me want to read more stories featuring aroace characters!