Cherry

Actual rating: 2.5 stars, rounded down.

I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book; some aspects of it were absolutely amazing, but it just frustrated me to no end. (Let's talk about the good bits first though, shall we?)

- It's bitingly honest and true to the teenage experience. The author doesn't spare us any of the nitty-gritty details, which I found absolutely refreshing. I've never read a book that dealt with teenage sex so openly, and still managed to portray the situation in a semi-realistic way.

- I love how it featured a lesbian (f/f) romance in such a positive light! It was so cute and heartwarming and all kinds of wonderful sighs dreamily (Emma and Savannah for the win!)

- BUT it was so slow. I found the plot awfully predictable because it only ever talked about their romantic entanglements! We're never given any context as to the emotional aftermath of their actions (concerning the sex pact), which was also quite disappointing.

- Also, I really wanted to see more of the friendship aspect of things! I found certain things problematic, like the way Zoe reacted to Layla's decisions, and I would have loved it if the book gave more thought to developing the group dynamics between the four main characters.