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megan_apageofpeace's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
Strong languagetaketwolu's review against another edition
Two childhood friends, Nova and Sam, who are separated by a move reconnect years later during their senior year of high school. Despite the gap, the two are still drawn to each other. The only problem is that Sam has a girlfriend and Nova will move soon.
Schumacher’s books always manage to tear up my heart while doing so in deep, meaningful, significant ways. In this book, we explore the effects of abuse, constant moving, identity struggles, trauma, messy relationships, and finding one’s self.
Nova and Sam have my heart!! As childhood friends, the comfort these two had for each other was so heartwarming despite the heartbreaking conditions. There was some grey area emotional ‘cheating’ which had me and the characters fumbling. Knowing their backstory too had me rooting for them but the present day drama had me anxious and wishing that Sam would speak up. Still, I loved how raw, authentic, and layered each person’s story was.
The writing and pacing are captivating and had me speeding through! The heavier topics and triggers were addressed with care and the ending had me on edge. There was such a mix of emotions and though I’m not sure how I felt about the epilogue, I still enjoyed this overall!
Thanks, Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for my arc!
smizock's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mparrish17's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
librarianaaryn's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
abbycostello1999's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
aprilalwayswithabook's review
3.0
Netgalley ARC: It took me a bit to decide my feelings on this book. On the one hand, it is fantastically written. I love the style and the layout. On content I get a little wishy-washy - it felt really true, and it's high school, and kids don't always have the best boundaries ... but Sam's justifications for cheating and everyone's allowances for his behavior without calling him out on it puts a sour taste in my mouth. This is mostly what brought it from a 4-star to a 3-star. I appreciate complicated issues in YA, but there should be more clarity that bad behavior is still bad behavior, even if you have a crappy childhood.
wrenicole's review
1.0
Gaslighting, emotionally manipulating, and cheating on your girlfriend is so hot, apparently
This is not a wholesome story of enduring love, like the synopsis states, this is hardly a story of love at all. Nor is it a heartfelt contemporary romance that will make you feel good inside.
This is a story of a cheater, who blames his serial mistreatment of friends and people who love him on a bad childhood. A guy who gets called out on this, but still thinks what he does is right.
This is a story of a 17 year old who cheats on his sweetheart of a girlfriend (who he initially got together with because she got cheated on before homecoming by her ex boyfriend) over and over again, spends 100 pages justifying that this “secret” is okay because it’s private (?????) and she’ll never have to find out. All because he recognized a girl he knew briefly when he was, get this, literally five years old.
A story of enduring love, of reconnecting from your childhood, of finding each other again, has everything going for it in terms of a heartfelt plot. Yet for some reason the author decided that what this story needed was an incredibly hard to read and upsetting story of cheating, and why cheating is actually a good thing!
This book makes a surface level, abysmal attempt at trying to say “guys don’t worry cheating is totally bad” but gives them the happy ending, gives Sam no repercussions to his actions, and still paints him as the good guy somehow. If the author was trying to make a point against cheating, I’m sorry but the mark was completely missed, by like, a mile.
Beyond the cheating, emotional manipulation, and lying that made me sick to my stomach, there was an extremely out of left field coincidence plot thrown in here with the parents. Which again, may have worked if this WAS a heartfelt story of reuniting with old flames and rekindling an enduring love, but say it with me folks, this is not that story.
I quite literally was sitting here exclaiming “what the fuck” at every turn. I think I still am the more I think of this book. I will promptly be wiping it from memory, thank god it was a quick read.
This is not a wholesome story of enduring love, like the synopsis states, this is hardly a story of love at all. Nor is it a heartfelt contemporary romance that will make you feel good inside.
This is a story of a cheater, who blames his serial mistreatment of friends and people who love him on a bad childhood. A guy who gets called out on this, but still thinks what he does is right.
This is a story of a 17 year old who cheats on his sweetheart of a girlfriend (who he initially got together with because she got cheated on before homecoming by her ex boyfriend) over and over again, spends 100 pages justifying that this “secret” is okay because it’s private (?????) and she’ll never have to find out. All because he recognized a girl he knew briefly when he was, get this, literally five years old.
A story of enduring love, of reconnecting from your childhood, of finding each other again, has everything going for it in terms of a heartfelt plot. Yet for some reason the author decided that what this story needed was an incredibly hard to read and upsetting story of cheating, and why cheating is actually a good thing!
This book makes a surface level, abysmal attempt at trying to say “guys don’t worry cheating is totally bad” but gives them the happy ending, gives Sam no repercussions to his actions, and still paints him as the good guy somehow. If the author was trying to make a point against cheating, I’m sorry but the mark was completely missed, by like, a mile.
Beyond the cheating, emotional manipulation, and lying that made me sick to my stomach, there was an extremely out of left field coincidence plot thrown in here with the parents. Which again, may have worked if this WAS a heartfelt story of reuniting with old flames and rekindling an enduring love, but say it with me folks, this is not that story.
I quite literally was sitting here exclaiming “what the fuck” at every turn. I think I still am the more I think of this book. I will promptly be wiping it from memory, thank god it was a quick read.
reesespieces05's review
4.0
Thank you NetGallery for my ARC!
I absolutely loved this book. It had such a cute storyline and a wholesome atmosphere. I wish that Sam’s trauma was touched on a little better because throughout the book he is still struggling with trauma from his childhood and it’s never fully addressed in the end. I like that it was left open ended so that the reader can imagine their own ending, but I’m silently hoping for a second book.
I absolutely loved this book. It had such a cute storyline and a wholesome atmosphere. I wish that Sam’s trauma was touched on a little better because throughout the book he is still struggling with trauma from his childhood and it’s never fully addressed in the end. I like that it was left open ended so that the reader can imagine their own ending, but I’m silently hoping for a second book.
kobireads's review
5.0
This novel sucked me in from the very beginning and I didn’t want to leave. Nova is always on the move for her Mom’s job but she doesn’t mind the constant changes, as she doesn’t have to set expectations for friendships/relationships. Sam is the star football player at school with expectations to go D1 in college. While the two characters live very different lives now, they have a shared past. Written in dual POV, the reader is able to further explore both Sam & Nova’s thoughts and feelings of being reconnected. I quickly fell in love with the wholesomeness of this novel as the two teenagers find what they need in their lives. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes high school romances with tropes like forced proximity, friends to lovers, and second chance!