This was an enjoyable story with fun romances. It ended a bit abruptly, but I had a good time overall. I really liked all the different POVs; each of the four main characters felt fleshed out and like a different human being. I never found myself disappointed when a chapter ended and we switched POVs because they were all equally interesting. And while it's not totally realistic that all four main characters would get a perfect swoonworthy romance with a perfect swoonworthy guy, I did like how each love story had its own quirks and each couple had a different dynamic, even if they all kind of followed the same formula (the MC falling for someone they shouldn’t according to society). I also appreciated the social commentary that was lightly presented with these different storylines. Since this is book is more YA romance than anything, there wasn’t a ton of politics (except some in Olivia’s storyline), but it was interesting to see these four young Black women navigate prejudices in a predominantly white community.
However, while I did enjoy the story as a whole, it wasn’t as gripping as I was hoping it would be. The four romances all went through the same narrative beats at around the same time, and since there wasn’t much of a plot outside all the romances, it often felt like the book was dragging because we were essentially reading variations of the same romance four times. I wish the book had done something more interesting with some of the couples (i.e. What if one of them wasn’t straight? Or what if one of them didn’t need a romance to be happy?)
The ending also felt really abrupt. Granted, I did not know going into this book that it was a series; but even if I had, I think I still would’ve been left feeling disoriented. It really seemed like we were gearing up for the “final battle” moment of a typical story, and that we were only two or three chapters away from everything being resolved, and then it just…stopped. Usually, with books that end on cliffhangers, there’s still some kind of complete arc in the first book, and then a last minute plot twist comes and changes everything, setting up a sequel. But in this book, it felt like the story was cut short right before any resolution could be reached, and instead of a new plot twist that raises the stakes, we’re just dragging out the final conflict of the first book. I wish that this book had been a few chapters longer and just wrapped up everything, but maybe that's just me!
However, while I did enjoy the story as a whole, it wasn’t as gripping as I was hoping it would be. The four romances all went through the same narrative beats at around the same time, and since there wasn’t much of a plot outside all the romances, it often felt like the book was dragging because we were essentially reading variations of the same romance four times. I wish the book had done something more interesting with some of the couples (i.e. What if one of them wasn’t straight? Or what if one of them didn’t need a romance to be happy?)
The ending also felt really abrupt. Granted, I did not know going into this book that it was a series; but even if I had, I think I still would’ve been left feeling disoriented. It really seemed like we were gearing up for the “final battle” moment of a typical story, and that we were only two or three chapters away from everything being resolved, and then it just…stopped. Usually, with books that end on cliffhangers, there’s still some kind of complete arc in the first book, and then a last minute plot twist comes and changes everything, setting up a sequel. But in this book, it felt like the story was cut short right before any resolution could be reached, and instead of a new plot twist that raises the stakes, we’re just dragging out the final conflict of the first book. I wish that this book had been a few chapters longer and just wrapped up everything, but maybe that's just me!