Genre : Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Plot : 4.5/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3.5/5
OVERALL RATING : 4/5
Mina’s life is going according to plan; she’s acing AP Calc and is perfectly content with her nonexistent social life. Though only a high school junior, Mina knows time is an investment, and she’s putting all her capital into academics. Oliver, a child abuse survivor who grew up in the foster care system, is ready to burn down his old life and start from scratch—complete with a new name and emancipation papers—in L.A. When the two are thrown together through circumstance and develop an unexpected connection, they discover how hard it is to keep the past in the past.
The idea of this novel piqued my curiosity, and I couldn’t put it down while reading it. This book covers a lot of ground, but it does it in a clear and fair manner.
“It was a dangerous thing for me to know what I wanted.”
The plot was enthralling and captivating. On the other hand, the story’s pacing seemed a tad hurried at times. For example, despite the plot’s brilliance, it would shine even brighter if the pacing was a little slower and more light-weight portions were added, allowing the reader to absorb the heavier sections more easily. The plot’s quick speed also impacted the advancement of the characters, so I didn’t feel especially connected to any of them. However, we actually get to learn a lot from the characters flaws.
We learn about Oliver’s life in the first few chapters rather than receiving hints and getting to know him over the novel, like we did with Mina, which made me enjoy the writing approach.
“It was a strange sensation, the thawing of a frozen heart.”
This book is one of the most unique YA novel I have read in a long time! I reccomend this to every reader who is looking forward to something new in this genre.