*spoilers ahead*
Ok so I just finished reading like thirty minutes ago. A lot is on my mind.

I love Silvera’s writing style as well as his characters. However, I’ve noticed—like a few others who have read this book—he has the tendency to define the characters by their romantic relationships. I understand romance is oftentimes a huge part of a person’s growth, but there is something to be said for growing through friendships or a person’s own internal struggles. In other words, this book would’ve been five stars if the Wade and Griffin romance wasn’t introduced in the latter half. Yes, grief—and history— are complicated: there is no correct way to navigate loss and if history were perfect we’d have nothing to learn. Griffin and Jackson’s one night stand was messy but justifiable because Griffin was spiteful and eventually realized being involved with his dead ex boyfriend’s boyfriend is not healthy: especially not in the early stages of grieving. However, Griffin and Wade’s romance diminished Griffin’s struggle let go of Theo; he deliberately used Wade to fill the Theo-shaped void but tried to paint the situation as a fresh beginning. He seemed aware of this briefly but immediately fell back into nurturing that possibility. It’s not that I wish Wade wasn’t gay or bisexual: I just wish he wasn’t in love with Griffin. Yes, the signs were sprinkled all throughout the book but their romance is severely underdeveloped. I wanted Wade to be happy so bad, but this was not the outcome best suited for him. The story would’ve still been entirely realistic if Wade felt isolated due to the trio’s dynamic disintegrating as a result of the GriffinxTheo relationship and having no one to confide in when his best friend died.