This was a super quick read for me and the main reason I decided to read it was because of how much I loved Jason Reynolds’ A Long Way Down. I’m sad to say that I definitely didn’t like this book as much as that one. 

I think one of my main problems with this book was the way it went in reverse chronological order. I got so confused at some points and trying to reorder it in my head was a mess. I’m a very “by the books” kind of person, so this unique structure for the book just threw me off. 

With the characters, I do think Neon and Aria had a ton of chemistry, but there just wasn’t… enough of Neon and Aria. A lot of the scenes in the book were about Neon’s parents or his grandparents and the relationship knowledge that he gained from them was great and all, but I wanted to see it in action as Neon acted gentlemanly towards Aria. Sadly, you only get a few sparse scenes between them and it’s supposed to be a love story. 

One thing this novel does have going for it is, despite the things I griped about, it is very vivacious in its storytelling. If it would have been in chronological order, or even starting in the same spot and then having Neon start from the beginning instead of going backwards, I think I would have liked this novel a lot more. Because, in all honesty, it was engaging. The characters were fun to read about. The plot was genuine in its emotional intelligence. I just wanted more than this book could offer me. 

Overall, this book falls firmly into the meh category for me earning a solid 3 out of 5 stars for my rating. If I were to change anything, I think I’d add more scenes of Aria and Neon, making it the romantic love story that was promised instead of just a conversation about love. 

Source: Audiobook from Libby Public Library

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)