I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. I think I had a bit of a bias because I heard this started as a Rylo fanfic and I’m an anti-Rylo shipper. But this ended up being adorable and gripping. My ratingin is probably more of a 4.5.
Where to start?
This made me very happy. And I read it in one day, which I wasn't expecting. I would describe this as sweet. That’s weird, because it does address some serious issues. And the steamy scenes were spectacular. There weren’t many, but it felt like the right amount.
Hazelwood does a good job of writing well-rounded and intelligent characters. I don’t have any experience with academia, but it felt like it was there. I also am a sucker for a competent character. So, I think Hazelwood will be an auto-buy author for that reason.
The romance was cute and well-paced. There was a huge conflict surrounding a refusal to talk to each other. I hate using that in a romance and this one lasted a long time. Olive and Adam were fake dating and I loved their conversations. Like always, I would like Adam’s perspective, but this book barely suffered from that.
The friendships here were also great. Both Olive and Adam have great friends. I love a supportive and loving friendship.
This lived up to the hype and I’m still happy I gave Ali Hazelwood a chance. Now I have to wait for more books though.
Thanks for reading!
Holly