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A review by caresays
Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler
4.0
I didn't read the first Daylight Falls book (though now I might), but upon seeing the description for this book, I knew I had to get my hands on an ARC.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of Josh Chester -- his bad boy witticisms are frowned upon, but tolerated, and he's not exactly punished for his behavior. Maybe I needed to have read the first book to really get that. I did like Though I cared very, very little about his personal drama and what was happening outside of Vanessa-world.
BECAUSE OH MY GOD VANESSA PARK. My heart's going to bang out of my chest. What a perfectly wonderful romance! With so many makeouts! fjielajfe;waijfe;wjfa;ea; everything was so perfect about her and Bri. Adler does this rather impressive job of nailing exactly how hard it is to be a WOC in Hollywood, expanding on Vanessa's fears, and also on her fraught relationship with her parents. The cultural gap is hard. I also looooved Bri. She was great -- confidently queer. My favorite thing about her was probably As a queer Asian woman, I really thought this was an authentic representation, and that felt great.
Now I'm going to re-read the kissing like 500 more times.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of Josh Chester -- his bad boy witticisms are frowned upon, but tolerated, and he's not exactly punished for his behavior. Maybe I needed to have read the first book to really get that. I did like
Spoiler
his slow turnaround on Vanessa though, and their friendship was super lovely and sweet towards the end.BECAUSE OH MY GOD VANESSA PARK. My heart's going to bang out of my chest. What a perfectly wonderful romance! With so many makeouts! fjielajfe;waijfe;wjfa;ea; everything was so perfect about her and Bri. Adler does this rather impressive job of nailing exactly how hard it is to be a WOC in Hollywood, expanding on Vanessa's fears, and also on her fraught relationship with her parents. The cultural gap is hard. I also looooved Bri. She was great -- confidently queer. My favorite thing about her was probably
Spoiler
the scene when she goes over to Vanessa's apartment for the first time, and they're talking, and Bri lays out exactly why she can't hide who she is. It's this wonderfully-written, startling articulate moment that rings so deeply true for any queer person who's been with anyone confused.Now I'm going to re-read the kissing like 500 more times.