4.5 Stars

It’s been a while since I truly could not put a book down. As in, when I blearily finished the last page of this delight of a story and glanced at my phone, it was way, way later than I ever stay up. I have no regrets, though! Alex and Henry have a permanent place in my heart.

I think I was hesitant to read this book for many reasons. It’s a royal romance, and I have found very few royal romances work for me. Politics. Blech. I read enough politics in the news; I am cautious about what I let into my romance novels. It was also SO hyped.

Luckily, I decided to dive in and was immediately hooked by the banter, the chemistry between Alex and Henry, and the many epistolary elements that made this 400+ page book fly by. The whole book felt young and fresh in a way many books strive for, and few succeed with. The pop-culture references, the razor-sharp wit, and showing young people as motivated and smart all combined to create an enjoyable book with a message that didn’t hit you over the head.

After reading the acknowledgments, I realized Casey McQuiston did exactly what she set out to do. She created a type of alternate reality that was fun and deftly walked the line between over the top fluff and gritty/emotional/heavy topics. At the end of the day, I just loved the romance between the main characters and relationships with the secondary characters.

I did think the tense was a weird choice and I was sometimes a little confused about who the narrator was. I also wanted a little more oomf in the sex scenes. They were an odd mix of fade to black and open door. Often they ended rather abruptly.

Overall, I adored this book. ADORED. It sucked me in and didn’t let go. I can’t wait to reread to feel all the warm and fuzzies again.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

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