This book is phenomenal.. I was pretty heavily attached to book one after I read it so I may be biased but these books are polar opposites and I am blown away by the breadth of the authors talent to tell such impactful stories. I may or may not have politely (very dramatically) requested (gimme, grabby hands) for an ARC of the book because I could not wait to read Jorge and Oli’s story and I am telling you I was not disappointed 🫠. I want everyone to read this book and then come talk to me about it. Also read book 1 first and come talk to me about that too.

This is heartbreakingly beautifully messy in all sorts of ways. There are no easy outs or convenient solutions in this one, the MCs work very hard for what they build. I wish a lot worse happens to one person but no spoilers

My heart went out to Oli, wanting something so badly and being unable to have it on so many levels. And Jorge, his identity coming from being needed, floundering and drowning in his own needs. Parts of Oli’s story are truly heartbreaking and quite hard to read. These two were perfect for each other, it made me glad they found each other, have each other. Despite the heavy themes and the tough issues the book navigates, between Oli and Jorge, even with the caution there is a lightness and innocent curiosity and sweet pining to their interactions which I absolutely loved. In Some ways this story is set in limbo, frozen in the past and in others it’s striding ahead and pushing for the characters to grow and change, to take a chance, to strive for more – it’s a stunning dichotomy that kept me from having the choice to put it down even for a bit. I love this interconnected world the author has built.. do I like Lex I don’t know, I like Devon, can’t wait to read more.

I also loved the way things were exposed and developed between Pheonix and Oli.

This book has a ton of sensitive themes though so read the trigger warnings if you need.