And just like that, I have a new favorite Katie Golightly book. I loved the other two books and I thought Piper and Leo were going to be really hard to beat, but she did it. Colin and Scarlett are everything. I was hooked and heartbroken already by the author's note and prologue, squealing and excited for their relationship by chapter 4, and messaging Katie because I was crying by chapter 7. That was only the first time I cried, and there were just as many swoony, sexy, and sweet moments that hooked my heart because the way she writes characters makes them so real and I can't help but be emotionally invested in them. Scarlett (who I'm pretty sure has undiagnosed ADHD), with her rambling stories and seemingly chaotic brain, and Colin, living undiagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder until age 18 in the flashbacks and knowing, almost five years later more about himself and the kinds of accommodations he needs, were perfect for each other. It was the way she appreciated and craved his point blank honest way of speaking, and how he listened to her stories and loved that she told every little specific detail. It was that they first got together after a bit quite a joke about wishing for a scientific explanation for what you would like sexually and then deciding to do the experiment together to create such a thing. It was that even before they knew he had ASD, she loved his escentricities and that he wasn't like everybody else, and naturally found ways to help him be more comfortable in life. It was that even though he broke her heart, he both tried to work at her pace when he came back for a second chance and also made it very clear that he wasn't going anywhere. It was the way she was drawn to helping Theo, a young boy part of her art class who had ASD and then let Colin be his mentor even though if hurt her to have him around at that point. But more importantly, it was the way that Katie very clearly researched everything she possibly could about ASD and found a sensitivity reader to ensure that her portrayal of Colin and Theo were carefully, thoughtfully, and accurately done, which they really were. Everything was written with extreme care, including but not limited to the meltdowns, sensory reactivity, hypersexualoty, and the alarming rate of suicide and suicidal ideation in people with ASD. As someone who has been doing her own research on ASD, late diagnosis, making, and Level 1 Autism, this was a perfect book for me for to read right now. These two characters intrigued me any time we saw them in the previous two books and got even a glimpse of their story, and it absolutely did not disappoint. Also, the fact that he was quite literally a Milo Thatch coded character, nerdy with blonde hair and glasses, and she was a hot curvy redhead? Perfection! It was great to see the rest of the family and friends group again, and the little breadcrumbs made me excited for the rest of the series! Thank you for the arc copy, it felt like an honor to read this early. The book will be out in paperback and on KU on Nov 17/24.