This book was so adorable that I had to give it five stars. I loved how diverse this book was from page one. I loved how so many different aspects of teen life was show in this book like loves, passion and friendship. I would def. say this book focused so much on friendship and how friendships can change and that was the standout part of this book for me. With romance undertones that like the play midsummer nights dream, you never know who was "end-game" It was quick read that i finished in one day. I def want to read more by this author in the future. ( )

This book was so adorable that I had to give it five stars. I loved how diverse this book was from page one. I loved how so many different aspects of teen life was show in this book like loves, passion and friendship. I would def. say this book focused so much on friendship and how friendships can change and that was the standout part of this book for me. With romance undertones that like the play midsummer nights dream, you never know who was "end-game" It was quick read that i finished in one day. I def want to read more by this author in the future. ( )

This book practically gave me a toothache it was so sweet. Emma Mills writes the most adorable characters in YA and you all should be reading her. 💜💜

This book is rainbow glitter falling from cotton candy clouds. It's sunshine rays bursting out of a unicorn's horn. I'm 100% convinced that Emma Mills mixes happiness into her ink when she prints these books because there is no way you could read this book and not feel happy all over.

Claudia, our main girl, is a down-to-Earth, relatable protagonist and even though I'm really nothing like her, I found myself WANTING to be like her. She has an awesome/admirable way of looking at the world, and I loved that she was into spending time with family and liked gaming. If she's a typical high school girl, our world is a better place than I thought.

The side characters in this book were also people I wouldn't mind knowing IRL. Gideon, the love interest, (who was basically Frank Sager from [b:This Adventure Ends|27779275|This Adventure Ends|Emma Mills|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455111092s/27779275.jpg|46885088]) was so cute and positive. Everyone liked Gideon because Gideon liked everyone. Iris was my fave because she had no filter. My filters are alarmingly thin, so I can relate to a gal who just SAYS it. True, she was super alienating to most of her classmates, but I had a blast watching as Claudia broke through her icy outer-layer.

The only character I didn't love was Zoe, the BFF from preschool. She was sort of unnecessary for me, and she was also part of the only thing in the book that I didn't like. Towards the end, there is a major plot twist involving Zoe, and I thought it was a MAJOR thing that really didn't get it's MAJOR due. It seemed like all the side characters were telling Claudia to "get over it", and I wanted to jump onto the page and tell Claudia that her feelings were valid!!

Okay, so I know you're thinking that this book is all fluffy and romancey, and I just want to assure you that it's not just that. The romance part is very minimal-- it's more about family and friendship, sort of like how [b:This Adventure Ends|27779275|This Adventure Ends|Emma Mills|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455111092s/27779275.jpg|46885088] was. And the fluff part... well, it is fluffy, I'll give you that, but fluffy is good here.

OVERALL: PERFECTION!! Emma Mills and her adorable characters strike again. I'm lost to this author and will read everything she ever writes forever and ever. I recommend you do the same because everyone needs this kind of happiness in their lives every now and again.

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This had a really slow start, to the extent that at 20% I was about to give up but then looked again at the good reviews and decided to push on. I'm glad I did. This is a truly lovely novel, with the PERFECT AMOUNT OF ROMANCE (just a little subplot!) and some beautifully flawed characters who are working on themselves. Really great. ( )

This is exactly the genre I don't read because it's absolutely not my thing, but I didn't dislike it.

The setting is an American high school for rich people, where the girls are named Paige and Amber, 16 year olds drive to school and there is a Shakespeare play and a homecoming. None of that means anything to me, a clueless European who doesn't know how much a mile is.
There is an average romance with an average boy and lots of references to a video game, a boy band and Shakespeare, none of which I care about either.

Then why did I finish it?
I really liked the strangers to friends arc between Claudia and Iris. This is genuinely one of the best redemption arcs I've read, and I think the contemporary setting made it more memorable because people like Iris and Claudia exist. It's the small, mundane things that make a friendship, which really shines in a high school setting where nothing too dramatic happens.

I also loved the emphasis on friendship in general. She has her oldest friend Zoe, her theatre group, her brother, Iris and a few acquaintances who are classmates. The romance was only a small part of the book (and in my opinion the weakest). There are a million books about an average American high school romance, but one that is mainly about friendship is rare.

This might not be my genre, but if you like contemporary YA, this is one of the best ones I've ever read ( )