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Aww this was such a strong YA romance. The YA voice feels authentic here, and I was totally able to connect with Sadie’s struggle with image, perfectionism, & people-pleasing. She was easy to like, and I enjoyed her development throughout the book. The story does a wonderful job of balancing sincerity & humor, and I thought the relationship between the leads seemed to grow naturally over time. Though I had mixed feelings about Julius at the beginning, he won me over with the little ways that his feelings for Sadie would pop through, and his genuine-feeling exchanges with her.

Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a sweet academic rivals to lovers that reads authentically YA.

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Thanks for reading!