Disclaimer: I received an eARC for review consideration through NetGalley, on behalf of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story took me on a roller coaster of emotions, in a good way. I loved it. The story is told from Alana’s POV, so we do not get a lot of depth into Gray or Tal, just what Alana shares with us, but we still get a lot.

Alana carries so much self doubt and insecurity. Everything she does is for Gray, she feels guilty for hurting him and feels that he should have everything he wants. She keeps her wants and needs to herself, agreeing to his plans for the future, whether regarding school or Tal. She has so much that she wants and needs in her life, but she is afraid to reach for it.

Gray seems to take Alana for granted. He just assumes that she will fall in with his plans, for Tal, for the future. His reactions when she starts to choose things without him are pretty telling. He’s not a bad guy, he just makes a lot of assumptions and doesn’t necessarily react well when things change.

Tal is new to the school and friend group. She has her own issues that she brings, but she helps Alana find a life outside of Gray’s and helps her to accept her sexuality and find places where she feels like she belongs.

There are so many complications brought on by assumptions and secrets. I felt like Gray expected Alana to just follow along with everything he did, and he made a lot of assumptions without talking to her at all. Especially when it came to Tal.

Alana is not blameless. She should have spoken up for herself and shared her feelings and fears with both Gray and Tal, but she does show a lot of growth by the end of the story. And I love the end of the story!