Fake Friends

[2.5] Perhaps my expectations were too high since I absolutely adored the first book, but it took so long for me to warm up to these two, and even then... not so much. I could sympathize with Circus's social media addiction and his craving for positive attention online to cope with his loneliness, and with Rowan's visceral fear of others, in particular his family, finding out that he's gay and the intense aversion/shame accompanied by panic attacks that he'd feel toward himself for liking guys (absolutely heartbreaking seeing instances of religion being used to justify and promote homophobia), but that's about it.

There was a sliver of personal growth involved with the MCs realizing what's truly important to them and what they want in the future, but I couldn't help but feel like many important details relating to their backstories were left out, which rendered it difficult for me to understand where exactly they're coming from. And apart from their individual plights, I had little motivation to care for the MCs as a couple. Of course I'm glad Circus and Rowan found their HEA together doing what's best for them, but the execution of the story itself was off for me personally