Nita Tyndall

3.5 Stars

CW: Loss of loved one, sexual content, biphobia, alocholism, slut-shaming, trying to force someone to come out.

Well that was quite a raw exploration of grief. It was heartbreaking to watch Corinne dealing with the loss of her girlfriend but not be at liberty to grieve openly as their relationship was a secret. Corinne had not been ready to be openly bisexual so the year long relationship had remained hidden from family and friends. I felt emotion in all the right places but I think Corinne's intense grief was hard to be around to be honest. I enjoyed the format as the alternate timelines showed us how the relationship developed, and how she dealt with Maggie's death. In terms of the writing, there was some repetition of certain phrases that grew a bit tiresome and gave Corinne a slightly younger voice in my opinion.

I loved how this novel illustrated that working out who you are isn't easy and in fact can be plain messy. Another important idea addressed in this novel is being pressured by others to assign yourself to a 'label' even if you don't feel ready to do so. I feel like both of these issues are important and so it's good to see them examined in a YA novel.

Overall, I was happy with how the story unfolded and felt relieved at the author's ending as I was worried it would go in a direction that wouldn't have felt authentic. A solid 3.5 Stars.… (mere)