I finished reading this a few days ago but I needed some time to get my head on straight before writing my review. I am not sure I am there yet but I need to write this before I start forgetting things. I will start with - I loved this book. Check the trigger warnings because it is not for everyone. But I loved it. From the dedication (“To anyone who’s ever felt sad and turned to their book boyfriends for comfort”), right up to the jaw-dropping ending. 

Luz is the curvy, smart, brave FMC who I want as a BFF. This is a why choose book so there are four MMCs (so far; still wondering about Lucien). Alistair is my favorite. Though I suspect Locke may take his spot, depending on how the story unfolds. Nixon has his moments too. I guess if Luz doesn’t have to choose, I don’t either. 😂

I am keeping a healthy distance from Everest. He has qualities that remind me of Sibby from Hunting Adeline (I DNF’d her novella) combined with qualities of Seth from the later Zodiac Academy books. So far I can handle him okay but I am not getting too attached in case he becomes too much for me and I have to skip his chapters. Which reminds me: this is a multi-POV narrative. 

The plot is really complex and the book ends with MANY unanswered questions. Which is to be expected with a series but, my goddess, that ending. I had to re-read it multiple times. A fellow Bookstagrammer who had read an ARC had invited me to DM her with reactions while I was reading and she may have regretted it.

The secondary characters are interesting and I look forward to seeing how their friendships develop in series. I loved how the friendship with Autumn developed despite Luz’s best efforts. 

Luz is multiracial - her mother is Puerto Rican and I think her father is white. There is a  blatantly racist moment in the narrative that is handled really well, particularly in the aftermath among Luz’ friend group. This incident, as well as the pressure on Luz to maintain her GPA and the assumptions made about her as a scholarship student, draw attention to the possibly different experiences of underrepresented students, especially at elite private institutions. You might think this is a silly why-choose dark romance, but these issues are handled with nuance that other writers of “more serious books” fail to achieve. 

The author is explicit that the series is a slow burn. I admittedly overlooked this in her promotional materials and was a little disappointed when I read that in the front material when I started the book. But I was pleasantly surprised. The tension builds in *really delicious* ways. So it doesn’t feel like anything is missing or like the author is toying with us. I give it 🌶️🌶️ and am certain later books will get much spicier. 

Overall it was an extremely fast read with lovable characters. Not much is resolved and not much spice happens, but it sets you up to look forward to the rest of the series. Through most of the book I was thinking it was shaping up to be a four star read, but as things were revealed, it quickly went up to five stars. I kind of want to re-read it already to see what I missed because I devoured it in one sitting. If you read it, please message me so we can discuss! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 🌶️🌶️