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I finished this book in one day; it's a book to devour if I ever met one. Rainbow Rowell takes some of the most frustrating parts of Harry Potter and rectifies them: she gets rid of a Ron character entirely; the character of Penny is such an improvement on Hermione; Simon is a much more sensitive, likeable version of Harry Potter. The romance between Simon and Baz is perfect. Everyone loves a slow burn, and their relationship develops sweetly, despite the fact that they "hate" each other.
This book is very readable, accessible, and lovingly written. For people who have been immersed in the Harry Potter fanfiction community, it is everything we dreamed of.
I did have a few issues with this book--first and foremost was its plot. There were many small plot points that were abandoned before coming to fruition, and the pacing was strange, especially as the book came to a close. I appreciated the bittersweetness of the final scenes, but the climax felt rushed, and frankly a little disappointing. Some of the switches in perspective seemed unnecessary and jarring, and many of the minor character's perspectives were never properly tied up. I wish Agatha hadn't even been a character in this book. While most of the characters had fairly complex and detailed perspectives, Agatha as a character was lacking from beginning to end. While most of the other characters were given complex interiorities, Agatha seems to be only the bare bones of a character and her motivations for her actions were never clear. I also wish that Simon had been written as explicitly bi, rather than, at the end of the book, half-heartedly identifying as gay. Harry Potter, in fanon, is more often portrayed as bi than gay, but I suppose we must take what we are given.
Ultimately, though, I didn't come to this book for a stellar and faultless plot, I came for the angsty gay romance that I wanted so desperately from Harry and Draco, and I got it.
This book is very readable, accessible, and lovingly written. For people who have been immersed in the Harry Potter fanfiction community, it is everything we dreamed of.
I did have a few issues with this book--first and foremost was its plot. There were many small plot points that were abandoned before coming to fruition, and the pacing was strange, especially as the book came to a close. I appreciated the bittersweetness of the final scenes, but the climax felt rushed, and frankly a little disappointing. Some of the switches in perspective seemed unnecessary and jarring, and many of the minor character's perspectives were never properly tied up. I wish Agatha hadn't even been a character in this book. While most of the characters had fairly complex and detailed perspectives, Agatha as a character was lacking from beginning to end. While most of the other characters were given complex interiorities, Agatha seems to be only the bare bones of a character and her motivations for her actions were never clear. I also wish that Simon had been written as explicitly bi, rather than, at the end of the book, half-heartedly identifying as gay. Harry Potter, in fanon, is more often portrayed as bi than gay, but I suppose we must take what we are given.
Ultimately, though, I didn't come to this book for a stellar and faultless plot, I came for the angsty gay romance that I wanted so desperately from Harry and Draco, and I got it.