"he doesn't want to let go. he is trying not to let go. he lies in bed at night, and closes his eyes, and tries to conjure her face. the exact curve of her mouth, the specific shade of her hair, thr way the bedside lamp lit against her left cheekbone, her temple, her chin. the sound of her laughter late at night, her voice when she was on the edge of sleep... belief is a bit like gravity. enough people believe a thing, and it becomes as solid and real as the ground beneath your feet. but when you're the only one holding onto an idea, a memory, a girl, it's hard to keep it from floating away."

oh my god??? you know the feeling when you finish a book and you're just kind of flabbergasted at what you just read? i just got that feeling; i finished this book in 1 day and it was such an emotional rollercoaster i'm not even kidding. the way it was written was so interesting to me, i've literally never read anything like it, and the book is honestly really sad in my opinion but it was just done so perfectly. henry and addie's story makes me want to cry thinking about it tbh, it's anything but a traditional romance but still so beautiful and soulmate-y. also, i know addie is the main character but i found myself fascinated by henry's storyline, it was just so sad and i felt for him so much throughout the book. there are so many lines i annotated bc they were mesmerising in a way. the way v.e. schwab captures the feeling of wanting, and wanting to BE wanted and to be loved was exquisite and quite honestly too relatable. this isn't a very coherent review lmao since it's currently 12am and i just finished it, but i loved it, and it's one of those special books i'll always remember.