Nika

I truly enjoyed the first three books of this series, but this book falls flat. It honestly feels like Bray did not know how to end the series and therefore had to invent a lot of rules about the Diviner's powers and about the King of Crows last minute. For a series that took place in NYC, all of the characters are inexplicably separated for half traveling cross country to all get to a town in Kentucky and then Nebraska to meet a new Diviner, who really doesn't do much?

It's been a while since I read the first books in the series, but I really could not remember a strong through line from the first book to this one. To me, it just felt very flat and not as fleshed out as the others.

I don't know why this is McQuiston's lowest rated book. I actually enjoyed this much more than One Last Stop. While I did like OLS, it felt bloated by McQuiston trying to do too much. This one is much more centered on the main character and her own flaws. It combines several romantic tropes, including in book characters reading or referencing books that inspired the book you're reading.

There were funny moments that made me laugh out loud; moments that made me want to hug characters; moments that made me hopeful.

I truly loved this book and hope more people find it.

I think that what maybe might be a barrier for people is that the main character is very flawed, very stupid in smart ways, and it's the same catch-22: people want complicated female characters but can't handle them.

Chloe is sometimes incredibly unlikable, but so are teenagers in general. She's selfish but gets called out for it and (most importantly) makes amends.

I wouldn't read this to children.

I found Lauren through her viral article about being a cable guy/blue collar worker with PTSD as a lesbian. When I learned that she got a book deal I immediately put it on my TBR list and it doesn't disappoint. Every essay is a brutally honest accounts of her life growing up in a cult, her integration into “real life” not once but twice, her experience and discharge from the air force after receiving death threats and being the victim of arson.

Hough does not paint herself as a victim or a martyr or someone who is now in a better place because she was able to make good decisions. She's honest about her shortcomings, which combined with the lack of resources and being trapped in systems that consistently make it impossible for her to reach a maintainable lifestyle leave her in vulnerable to most.

Is Hough someone I would want to hang out with? Probably not. But she's a good a writer with a very compelling story that examines the pitfalls of her own mental health and the systems of America.

I got to read an ARC and thoroughly enjoyed this sweet, sassy romcom with heart at the very center. It plays into Pride and Prejudice vibes (egos and miscommunications) but not overly so, or not unbelievable. And the cast, both the main characters and their friends and family, are all lovely. Makes you want to move a small town and grab a papusa at Josie's Tias' restaurant.