I loved this book for so many reasons! First, subjectively – I have family in Massachusetts, so finding out the author used ACTUAL places in Somerville had me losing my mind! Most people make up surrounding restaurants and stores, but she included The Painted Burro (determined to go back for lunch, but it was fun just walking past it), Davis Square Hand Crafted Donuts & Bagels (SO good, by the way), and Rosebud Bar & Kitchen (speed of service could use some improvement, but the Masala Chai French Toast was delicious!).

Objectively, the book was an absolute delight. Alison and Bradeigh (referred to from this point on as Ali) did an amazing job developing each character so that we could respect the external projection each enemy placed on the other, while still seeing the hidden person they were with friends and family – or, in Ryan and Josie’s case, with each other behind a screen.

What I loved most, and found highly impressive, is that Ali chose two genres that are often chastised by the reading community and used the characters to defend them. If you mention literary fiction around most people – if you aren’t met with an eye roll, you’ll probably hear words like “boring,” “pretentious,” or “try-hard.” The same judgment goes for contemporary romance: “fluff,” “p*rn” (if you’re reading some of the spicier ones), or “sappy drivel.” As for the readers, the stereotypes are just as harsh – we’re accused of wasting our time with unrealistic relationship fantasies or dismissed as bored housewives with nothing better to do.

To have Ryan – a young man – defend the romance genre, and Josie – a college dropout – defend literary fiction gave Ali the perfect opportunity to call out those unwarranted opinions and remind readers that books are books, passions are passions. Just because you pick up one thing versus another doesn’t make you better or worse than the next bibliophile. As long as what you enjoy makes you happy, gives you purpose, and fills you with what you need most (whether it’s knowledge, free therapy, or a temporary place to escape) – that is all that matters.

Now, stepping off my soapbox – I also loved the humor, vulnerability, and multiple layers of the characters. Neither was a cookie-cutter main character. With Josie, you had her complicated relationship with her mother, her love and care for her sister, and her struggle with self-esteem and vulnerability – yet she held a shield and wielded a sword that could make the bravest knight stand down. You had to sit back and just see what was going to happen. The same with Ryan: always compared to his brothers, carrying the “disappointment” label from his family, and struggling with feelings of never being enough – on top of his own personal challenges. Watching these two come together made you want to keep turning the pages until the very end.