goodreads review: "my feelings for this book are like the moon, one side sweltering hot and the other stone cold." no idea if that analogy makes sense, but this is a... mid book. not something very GROUNDBREAKING. i was expecting something different, but i think my tastes are more literary oriented rather than commercial fiction. the story felt like a booktok book idea/pov/trope, which it technically was. i don't understand commercial fiction these days. i got the messages of elitism and its role in academia, and the very prominent theme of academic validation from the story. i related to the mc in SOME ways too, but when i tell you, she has NO personality. i literally cannot tell you a single proper trait that she possesses that is unique to her, and the book pulls off the telling method where they all go "oh she's so smart and intelligent" when there is NO INDICATOR of the mc being smart. it's shown that she's a HARDWORKER, but her intelligence is never displayed but instead spoonfed to the reader. and henry: mixed feelings about him too. he's a booktok bf type—personality is just... present but not very well-defined ig. i liked him in some parts, and didn't in some others, and the mc hates him so much that she makes it very apparent in her inner monologue how disgustingly attractive he is, which is a pet peeve for me. what i'm trying to say is: like most booktok type plots, the idea was GOOD, there was A LOT of potential, but the book ultimately fell short in its exceution, which barely passed the mark. the young adult book curse strikes.
