A review by dododenise
Tim Te Maro And The Subterranean Heartsick Blues by H.S. Valley

emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

Magical boarding school, gay enemies-to-lovers who do a revenge plan on their exes by taking care of a fake baby. And a lot of sharing the same bed. 
This sounded like the perfect list of tropes to me and it did not disappoint! I loved this book! It was everything I hoped it would be. It was cozy and super character focused, which I enjoyed immensely. 
The characters were really fun, although I wished the other characters would have gotten more personality. There are a lot of others next to the main pairing and I don’t really got to know them, which was a shame. 
Tim and Elliot, however, were brilliant and I was rooting for them. There were bits in their relationship which I didn’t like as much, for example when Tim tried to initiate a conversation on their boundaries and Elliot made him feel made fun of for it. There was generally more communication in this relationship than in most using these tropes, especially in YA with stupid teens as their characters, yet sometimes I hoped they would be more clear on what they wanted. Nonetheless, their relationship was fun to read and watching it grow and develop was glorious. 
The whole book at a very fanficy vibe, and I mean that in the best way possible. There’s a reason why I enjoy reading fanfiction and this book captures those elements. 
I’m very surprised I haven’t seen anyone else talk about this book, because it’s amazing! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings