Reviews

I love Sophie Gonzales so much! Though this didn't quite hit the mark for me, the casual queerness Sophie writes in these characters made my heart so happy and I still had a pretty fun time.

I definitely loved the story more once Maya and Skye are able to move past their entangled relationships with Jordy and on to revenge and falling in love. As much as I loved them, the stakes were always very low and I didn't fully feel the trust that becomes central to their conflict is very developed. I didn't really care since this is YA and they don't always need to be so developed because teen emotions are messy, but since part of my brain wanted this to be NA on some level (mostly because I couldn't buy into the show otherwise), I wanted more regardless.

My biggest complaints are definitely that 1) this novel does not feel quite right for a YA audience, and 2) it leans heavily into the assumption that anyone reading this has watched dating shows to the point of production awareness. The entire concept being 18 year-old girls competing on a show themed around second chances felt odd, given how few high school relationships make it into the real world. But even disregarding that, the time spent on the dating show just believes too much that readers know the scheming that goes behind the scenes. I definitely do, but I can see how readers who don't care about dating shows but do like revenge might be confused. Also... this show is so tame that I even found my ability to suspend belief difficult here too lol.

I still adore Sophie and all her books. This is a 4 star read for a number of reasons, including positive dating show girl power! But this is definitely my least favorite so far and it's a bummer. How did a dating show revenge plot not land with me? We may never know.

I received a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Macmillan for providing me access!

applepie10's review

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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