I would say this book lives up to the hype. McQuiston has that magic touch; they know how to reel you in, what tropes to use, craft the perfect lines (“I love him on purpose,” and “America, he is my choice” are rather iconic), etcetera. Is it cliche? Yes. Is it a little laughable how unlikely a situation like this would go down in real life? Also yes. But it is nice to have hope, especially as a queer reader, that someday something like this *could* happen. Admittedly, I finally broke down and read this because I heard the movie was coming out but now after finishing the book, I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead due to a lot of the differences that were made for the silver screen. It’s understandable how this book propelled McQuiston as a household name.