I want to start out by saying I was so excited getting into this book. The first one was a little juvenile to me and I loved seeing Belly’s progression as she became more of an adult. I also love drama and heavy emotions, so this book appealed to me much more than the first one. 

Honestly, I feel like there’s going to be a lot of people who don’t like this one compared to the first because it’s just so different. Let’s be honest, though, the growth of the characters in this book (mostly Belly) is amazing so the shift in tone feels right. 

This was a smaller book, so there’s not much that I can say about it without spoiling it, but you get a lot more of Jeremiah, which I love. While I’m always pulled towards the damaged and brooding male leads, I found myself drawn to Jeremiah’s puppy dog personality and his kindness most of all. Someone make my confused heart decide who I like more because I sure as hell can’t decide. 

The only thing that I can gripe about with this novel is the ending. I don’t think that flash-forward was needed even if Han was just trying to build suspense. She could’ve ended it with the scene before the flash-forward and I would’ve been perfectly content. 

Overall, the tonal shift and the character progression gave this book what I found the first book to be lacking: substance. The writing was always there because Jenny Han is amazing, but now this book gives you a little more well-roundedness. I’m super excited to read the last book in this trilogy and see where Belly goes next. 

Source: Personal Copy