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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
What a cute debut! Knowing that Raegan Revord is only 17 years old, makes this book even more amazing (at least to me)🤩
Love the whole found family trope, and the fake dating of course; so easy to read, yet put me in a chokehold on a number of times.
Definitely recommend , a fun, yet emotional novel with a great cast of side characters and even a scavenger huntđź’š
Love the whole found family trope, and the fake dating of course; so easy to read, yet put me in a chokehold on a number of times.
Definitely recommend , a fun, yet emotional novel with a great cast of side characters and even a scavenger huntđź’š
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rom-com lover Avery is still in the thick of grief when broken-hearted Charlie drops into the train seat beside her. Charlie explains quickly that she wants her ex (Leyla) to think she’s moved on, and Avery agrees to pretend they’re dating. What started as a five-minute interaction on the train turns into a more extensive arrangement when the two realize they’re both students at the same school. Charlie is a local and agrees to help Avery solve her mom’s last scavenger hunt, in exchange for Avery helping to make Charlie’s ex want her back. Avery knows how this would go in a rom-com, where fake dating is never fake for long, but she’s determined that her real life will avoid falling into that pattern.
Of course she’s wrong. Avery starts to have real feelings for Charlie. The only problem is that they’re planning a fake break-up of their fake relationship, and Avery thinks Charlie is still in love with Leyla. Instead of breaking up, they have a dramatic kiss and start dating. Before too long, though, Avery realizes that Charlie is keeping something from her – something to do with Leyla.
The scavenger hunt added a fun element to a story of personal growth and relationship development, and moved the plot along between the different misunderstandings. I enjoyed seeing Avery open up to her friends and realize that there’s more to life than relentless pursuit of perfect grades, that she can follow her passions and make new friends without sacrificing her academic goals.
It was tough that Avery kept having problems that came down to poor communication. After Avery and Charlie resolved their lack of communication about their feelings for each other, I hoped that meant they would have grown and learned about the importance of communication in a healthy relationship. Nope. Their next big issue is about Charlie hiding something, Avery assuming she knew what it was, and neither being willing or able to broach the subject. I found it frustrating that Avery didn’t seem to try to be a better communicator, even after the first time she messed up a relationship because of it. Not that I’d expect a character to be a perfect communicator, especially in YA, but I expected her to try more.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Cute debut! I definitely want to read more from this author in the future!
❥ The story was fun! I enjoyed both storylines (the fake-dating and the scavenger hunt), though I think sometimes the scavenger hunt was kind of forgotten about. Also, the scavenger hunt was sometimes too easy. Like, they’d just conveniently find someone who knew Avery’s mum and could help them find the next clue. They’d stumble upon a clue that, somehow, nobody had found in 25 years, even though it was in a publicly accessible place and not very well hidden. Idk, it was a little too easy at times.
❥ The fake-dating was quite silly. But the characters acknowledged how silly it was, which I really appreciated. The book was really self-aware in that way!There is a misunderstanding / 3rd act breakup (because of course there is; this is a romance book, afterall….), and although it was annoying, I could actually understand both of their reasonings (Charlie hiding her chronic illness bc Avery was still mourning her mum + Avery not being able to be there for Charlie bc it reminds her of her mum’s situation).
❥ A couple of things sometimes happened off-page, which was a little… :/ Nothing major, but it happened enough times that I noticed (and wished I had seen those things happen).
❥ I reeeeally liked the chapter titles!!! Bring back fun chapter titles yessss!!!!!!!!!!
❥ The MC was well-written and I enjoyed her arc. Seeing her deal with her mother’s passing and her father clamming up was interesting. Charlie was a cute LI and I like that her and Avery became friends first. And I also liked the SCs (and lowkey wish we’d spent more time with them). They were all quite nice and well-rounded.
❥ The character descriptions were inconsistent. Avery was described as having hazel eyes, then later her eyes are described as blue. Charlie’s eyes are light brown, then dark brown, then hazelnut, then hot cocoa. Charlie’s hair is described as honey-brown, then strawberry-blond, then hazelnut. Charlie has tan skin, but later pale skin. Avery’s mum is described as having pale blond hair, then auburn-brown.
❥ There were also a handful of typos (and, towards the end, Maddi goes from using they/them to she/her…. I’m assuming it was also a mistake?). Overall, this book definitely needs another round of editing.
ARCs available for everyone to download on Netgalley. (review written on 07/05/2025)
❥ The story was fun! I enjoyed both storylines (the fake-dating and the scavenger hunt), though I think sometimes the scavenger hunt was kind of forgotten about. Also, the scavenger hunt was sometimes too easy. Like, they’d just conveniently find someone who knew Avery’s mum and could help them find the next clue. They’d stumble upon a clue that, somehow, nobody had found in 25 years, even though it was in a publicly accessible place and not very well hidden. Idk, it was a little too easy at times.
❥ The fake-dating was quite silly. But the characters acknowledged how silly it was, which I really appreciated. The book was really self-aware in that way!
❥ A couple of things sometimes happened off-page, which was a little… :/ Nothing major, but it happened enough times that I noticed (and wished I had seen those things happen).
❥ I reeeeally liked the chapter titles!!! Bring back fun chapter titles yessss!!!!!!!!!!
❥ The MC was well-written and I enjoyed her arc. Seeing her deal with her mother’s passing and her father clamming up was interesting. Charlie was a cute LI and I like that her and Avery became friends first. And I also liked the SCs (and lowkey wish we’d spent more time with them). They were all quite nice and well-rounded.
❥ The character descriptions were inconsistent. Avery was described as having hazel eyes, then later her eyes are described as blue. Charlie’s eyes are light brown, then dark brown, then hazelnut, then hot cocoa. Charlie’s hair is described as honey-brown, then strawberry-blond, then hazelnut. Charlie has tan skin, but later pale skin. Avery’s mum is described as having pale blond hair, then auburn-brown.
❥ There were also a handful of typos (and, towards the end, Maddi goes from using they/them to she/her…. I’m assuming it was also a mistake?). Overall, this book definitely needs another round of editing.
ARCs available for everyone to download on Netgalley. (review written on 07/05/2025)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this was soooo cute. just a fun quick easy read that had some really nice emotional moments too.
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such a cute sapphic romance novel with themes of heritage and finding out who you are!
Loved the UK setting and the descriptions of accents. The characters were clearly meant for each other and well developed.
Romance built up quicker than usual but was still reasonable.
I hope to read more of this authors books in the future!
Loved the UK setting and the descriptions of accents. The characters were clearly meant for each other and well developed.
Romance built up quicker than usual but was still reasonable.
I hope to read more of this authors books in the future!
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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:
No
mysterious
reflective
sad