A Shadow Bright and Burning

Such fluff! It feels like a dating sim adapted into novel format. One special girl surrounded by eight similarly aged guys. There's the easy but shallow guy, the cold and aloof guy, the damaged guy with a dark destiny... and all the other guys nobody really pursues on their first playthrough. They exist as scenery but are really interchangeable.

The story is enjoyable but gets bogged down in exposition in the final act.