this book was so cute and such a welcome blast from the past for an early 2000s kid. i really enjoyed the care the authors took to intersperse real fears of being queer in the 90s without making it a trauma story. i also just loved how real it felt with mental health and family dynamics. i felt like i could see my family in jessa and birds’ families. overall, i just thought it was really cute and lovely i just wish (maybe this is the hopeful person in me) bird could’ve ended the story with any friends :( it felt like she lost everyone close to her except jessa and her family by the end and i wish she could’ve reconciled with bri and paige maybe idk. but i loved it and hehe’d and kicked my feet so.

Both authors wove this story so well around hard topics and told a beautiful, messy love story of two high school seniors who were trying to navigate it all. Their love triumphed and rose above the waves crashing in their home lives. That’s really all we need. Someone to be there and love us through the storm, to help us grow and love ourselves. That’s exactly what Jessa & Bird have done.

Growing up in the 90’s, this book was so eye opening to how things were then. I remember Y2K, the beginning of cell phones, AOL DIAL UP, how important CD’s were, how different the music felt.. but because I was still young in the 90s this book offered me a perspective on deeper topics that I never realized. Like societal beliefs about mental health disorders, LGBTQ, AIDS, eating disorders… There was such a stigma around these topics from that era compared to the progress we have made currently. I am grateful to have this comparison.

Highly recommend reading this book as a young adult.

Read now on netgalley. I loved how diverse the characters were. I also felt like the mental health rep on Bipolar was done well. I loved how the mom and dad were present in the book. I feel like this was one of the reasons why I liked the book because usually in YA novels the mom and dad are not present. I also like how the book gave me all the feels. I loved the relationship between the two characters. I felt that the writing was great. I felt like this was a great read. This was not my favorite Amber Smith novel. I still really like The Way I Used to Be. However, this is a really good book. I felt like this book is needed for teens at this time in life. Overall, it was a great read.

Amazing book loved the characters and plot. I couldn't stop reading I stayed up all night. I loved the book so much thank you for the arc.

This was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed from the romance genre and how this was used for a young adult novel. It was everything that was promised and enjoyed the overall feel of the relationship and was glad it had that feel that I was wanting. The characters had that realism that I was looking for and was glad everything worked together. Amber Smith and Sam Gellar has a strong writing style and am excited for more from them,

Rating 3.5.

I enjoyed this story over all. New to me authors and a big thanks to Simon Teen for the NetGalley. I wouldn’t have read this if it wasn’t gifted so that was excited. I thought the concept was excited and for the most part it delivered. There are a few things that caught me off guard but just because it wasn’t my cup of tea- doesn’t mean it won’t be yours. I loved the mental health rep though.

Cute romance book!

I need to buy it in stores once it’s out as the formatting made it difficult to have the full experience.

I giggled and smiled while reading this one and it was paced well and beautifully written. Loved it.

I need to check out more books by this author!

Thank you for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

This book hooked me right from the beginning! Absolutely loved it! The flow waa perfect, Thank you for the ARC!