Final draft

4.25 stars The sad feels towards the end just hit me hard. wow.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

2.5 stars

I don't know what it is about this book, but it just didn't pull me in. There definitely were those moments that had me reading each and every word, slowly so I could understand, but for the most part, I found it hard not to skim.

Yet, I still think it is a good book. It has a diverse cast with a bi-racial, bisexual(? I don't think she ever labeled her sexuality) MC. It deals with quite a few different issues including depression, identity, being plus-sized, and more. There is a lot of good about this book and how it handles these topics. I definitely think people can get something out of reading it and people will surely relate to her and her struggles.

The friendships are great, I feel so much of this book feels incredibly realistic, and Laila goes through so many struggles people can relate with. I want to point out how much this book has to offer.

It just didn't work for me.
In fact, I was a bit bored reading this. Sometimes I think it is difficult for adults to know whether or not conflicts with teens are realistic or not and while I think most of it makes sense, some of what Laila does just didn't make sense – I don't know why she would do something that would cause an issue.
Also, her changes to accomplish what her teacher wants her to do, seemed so easy to me. For a homebody, I just thought going to a party, etc., would be more intimidating.

In the end, I'm going to recommend this to people who like contemporaries and maybe want one with a LGBT+ romance that isn't front and center but just natural part of the book. This is also a good book for people looking to read about someone who reflects themselves.