Genre: Fiction/Contemporary
Page Count: 250+
Published: 2022 (Crown Books for Young Readers)
Potential Triggers: Singular mention of gay-ness
Mental Health Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD,
(Some of you may have seen part of this review in my Goodreads review, but here's the whole thing)
I'm not sure where to start. I could say that I laughed, that I cried, I could say that I felt like I was really seen in this book, or I could just say that I loved it. But somehow, somehow that doesn't seem like enough, no matter what I say, because all of that is true but I'm also missing something—missing words that I need to use to describe this book, but can't find.
I've got tears on my cheeks as I write this and I'm still wiping them away as I just think about that beautiful ending. Like... goodness gracious the ending was so perfect. I'm going to save most of my thoughts for a review for my blog, but just know this: This book was a near-perfect representation of what it's like to be autistic. Each autistic is different, but there are some of us who are like Cora. And I loved seeing that. As an autistic myself, I felt so seen and am so attached to her character.
The plot on this book was a bit hard to discern at the beginning of the book because we were getting to know the character, but as the story unfolded, more and more was revealed and it developed quite nicely and believably! There were a few time skips, but they didn't feel jerky at all and instead were quite smooth and it was delightful to read overall.
The characters themselves were so dynamic and relatable, each in their own right. The only one I struggled with relating to at any level was Dr. Gold, but I think a lot of that was explained at the end.
This is one of those books where the characters were so well-written and loveable that I don't know who I liked the most. I'm stuck between Adrian and Cora, because they were both just so loveable and relatable and just overall adorable. This book is one that I would wholeheartedly recommend and I'm hoping to reread this one before I return it to the library, even! I'm super hype about how this book turned out. 5/5 stars for sure!