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Zach J. Payne

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  • 151
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Just Lovely.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-14-24

This is a powerful story, lovely and emotional without being completely overwhelming. It's a love letter to California, a great adventure. I just wish the ending was a little less open. But I have a love for a solid resolution. Still, these characters will worm their way into your heart. Well worth the read.

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One of my favorite reads this year.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-01-23

It's heavy without being overbearing, romantic without being sappy, and just a wonderful adventure at the end of the world. The conflict is delicious, the choices are not easy, and you truly find yourself worrying for and caring about both of these main characters. But the ending. Oh, God, the ending. I hope there's a sequel. Or at least a follow up novella. That last line was murder on my nerves in the very best way.

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This one's a winner.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-30-23

Okay, so the premise is AMAZING. Just absolutely a fun story. A lot of delicious angst, and the story ended in the best possible way on every level.

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A delightfully messed up book

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-07-23

I only wish the ending was different -- but this was such a fun ride!

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Sweet and touching!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-06-23

Gentle and touching and a perfect little romance. Strikes every note perfectly, watching these characters fall in love was like watching a couple of old friends find home.

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Love and Sorrow, Perfectly Intertwined

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-24-23

This book is beautiful, bittersweet, and lovely in equal measure. A lovely love story, even if wreathed with sadness. Well worth reading, one that I am sure I'll return to often.

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Stunning, sad, sweet, and hopeful.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-19-22

Part disaster story, part love story (both in the sense of romance and found family) and part recovery story. Beautifully and painfully written. Julia Whelan, as always, does an amazing job of bringing the story to life.

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This is the cutest book in the world.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-15-22

I mean, seriously. It is just so sweet, even while giving an honest look at all of the hardships that queer kids face, especially in places that aren't the most progressive/friendly. The writing is so fresh and so gloriously perfect, Dahlia hits the voice just right. It makes my heart want to scream and soar. I graduated from high school in 2009 and so many of us queer kids never came out until after we graduated. But it's nice to see that arc bending slowly, to see pride take a place in the public world.

I wish this book would be added to every high school curriculum. It's that necessary.

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Heartfelt.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-15-22

This book is quite lovely. I haven't read too many books that really lean in to the kind of conservative Christian upbringing I had (and later moved away from) but this one really touches on that well--and not in a mean way, but an honest one. This story works as an honest deconstruction of purity culture, if not a radical one, the main character learning to understand God in a more complex way, beyond the black and white that we're told when we're young.

The romance arc ends on a bit of a bittersweet note, but it's rather sweet and tender during the arc of the story--and realistic to a fault. But the character's relationship with her parents, that comes out so well.

This is a really touching story, one that I'm sure I'll revisit.

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So entirely full of heart.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-18-22

First, I have to say that I love the structure of this series. It's not one that I've read many times (or maybe ever?) before, progressing from YA to NA to Adult romance in each book. But it works so well.

Of all 3 books, I think this one was the most deeply emotional, the most thoughtful. It showed the MCs as being more than themselves, but being parents and part of a connected community, dealing with the past and the future and trying to make it through the present. It's definitely kind of philosophical, but not at the expense of a damn good story.

I have to admit. I'm really invested in these characters, and this is one of those stories where it's gonna be hard to say goodbye. But I'm glad I dug this series out of my TBR. It was definitely worth the read.

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