Hello Everyone!
Overview (Non-Spoilery Section) At first I didn’t know that this book existed. It wasn’t really big on Booktube or Goodreads, so when I got a copy of the ARC and discovered it was a sequel, I had to find this one. When I saw the synopsis of this book I was like “YES”! I was so intrigued by the idea of living in different people’s bodies, having their memories and finding people to hang on to. Will Grayson Will Grayson made me interested in exploring David Levithan’s work, so I jumped straight in. This book is heavy, consistently heavy. Sometimes it is like whipped cream, heavy with half the calories and sometimes it was your grandmother's straight up homemade heavy whipped cream, but both options are heavy and thick. There are basically too many trigger warnings to count but if you can assume it is in this book, it probably is. Self harm, abuse, self hate, weight issues, love and loss, you got it all. Certainly not a book for kids. I am 17 and some sections were still hard for me to get through, sometimes just having to skip through them. The problems of this book came with the romance. Yes, this books finds a way to become a romance book. The romance is like the annoying romances you saw in middle school. All the characters have so much going on around them and all they talk about is their love for each other, how they always want to be together, how they were instantly the one for each other. It was cute in the beginning and got annoying quickly -_-. I am hoping that due to the events in this book, the romance will take a very far backseat to the plotline. ***Spoilers*** I respect David Levithan for writing this book. Shying away from difficult topics can be tempting but addressing them, even if they are hard to read. The romance was what made this book go downhill. The insta love was so strong!!! I also couldn’t overlook the fact that R’s relationship with Justin is totally abusive and then when she finds something good, she goes for it without breaking up with him until much later. I have no idea what the second book is going to cover but I like the idea of the “other people like me” scenario. *sigh* I really wanted to give this book 5 stars…. Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars 74% out of 100%
-Jaime