Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
This book was absolutely adorable. Ariel has so much confidence, especially as a high school senior, and yet her behavior was still realistic – I truly need to applaud Cookie for creating a character that I wish I could either a) be friends with or b) have been as a senior in high school. This book reminded me of my experience with being nominated to the Homecoming Court my senior year of high school, Ariel just had a much better outcome than I did. While I think I was nominated as a joke (and subsequently removed & replaced without my knowledge even though I had gotten votes), Ariel got to experience the full gambit of Homecoming Court traditions at her school. While she kept doubting whether she had been nominated as a joke or not, people kept showing that she was a loved member of the school, regardless of the negative comments that periodically came up due to her weight.
The relationship that developed between her and Rhys was great as well. Rhys was a wonderfully well-rounded character, breaking stereotypes and I really rooted for him throughout the book. It was fun reading all of the different movie references throughout the book, especially when some of my favorite scenes were mentioned. Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You Anyone? I would love to read a book about other characters in this universe, because as much as I want more about Ariel & Rhys, this book does something that not many books are good at – it ends in such a way that I am satisfied. I don’t have any lingering questions, I don’t feel like I need more, and I am happy with what I got. Don’t get me wrong, if there is more to their story I would happily read it, but if this is all I get, I would be fine with it. I really enjoyed this book and I am happy I had a chance to read it. 5/5