I was somewhat wary going into this book as the last time that I read a book with a character called Effie it was an absolutely miserable experience for me. I am not sure if it was simply that the audio made this a more pleasant experience for me or that the writing just hit differently; it was probably a combination of both as this book really hit the spot for me.

Barry does a fantastic job of balancing the sweet blossoming romance between Tove and Effie with some emotional weight from the trauma they are carrying as a result of their pasts. Both of the characters were actively working to improve not only themselves but the world around them and it just made them such compelling characters. I really loved Effie’s fiery spirit and strong sense of justice whilst Tove’s desire to do good with no clear path to doing so was completely adorable.

There were several moments of this story that had me tearing-up and I particularly enjoyed the discussions around gender expression and there being no wrong way to be non-binary. This is a book that got me in the feels on so many fronts and I was thoroughly on board for all of it.