Allayne L. Webster

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Car crash, hospitalisation of a mother due to cancer, death of people in the past, implied divorce?
Score: Six points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

First off, in terms of representation, I couldn't find any. Everyone in this book is white, neurotypical, has no disabilities or religion and has typical body types. Shame. Now then. This was a new arrival at one of the two libraries I go to, but I put it aside until months later when I picked it up and read it. When I finished it, I had mixed thoughts; on the one hand, I found this incredibly realistic since it mentions social media in a modern, contemporary (since this book is presumably set in 2023) context. On the other, I found this story tedious to read and never found myself fully connecting to the characters for reasons I'll explain later on. It starts with the main character, Tully, whose last name remains undisclosed, who, only after a few pages, starts a relationship with Dene Walker, or Dene for short. That friendship looks healthy for the first part of the book until Tully realises Dene doesn't care for her as much as she expected, and soon enough, the friendship falls apart. That moment is where the middle (and most frustrating to read) starts. Dene is a disgusting character at first, and Tully is as repulsive as her since she abandoned her old friend, Kira, for privileged parties, but they are not what they initially seem. Unfortunately, an unnecessary plot point muddied the character developments of Tully and Dene, as the novel has not one but two sob stories! Oh please. They were likeable, unlikable, then likable again. At least the friendship is somewhat restored after being annihilated, but it is bittersweet considering the circumstances. Wow.… (more)