"'Just because you guys are going off to college doesn't mean your friendship's gonna change and that your lives are gonna be different. All that'll change is where you are, not what you guys mean to each other.'"

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Interlude Press.

All throughout high school, best friends Cady and Cooper have gotten good grades and stayed out of trouble. On the last weekend before graduation, they decide to make a bucket list of all the "normal" teenager things that they missed, like taking a road trip and getting tattoos. They don't count on a beautiful stranger, Eli, joining them for the weekend, or that Eli's presence will force them to confront how they really feel about each other--and about him.

The novel has a cute concept, and it's very appropriate for its age group. I was a lot like Cady and Cooper in high school. I've done a little over half the things on their bucket list and don't feel like I'm any better rounded a person for them, but I understand the urge to make lists of things that seem important and check them off; I did the same at that age, although few of the most important things that ever happened to me happened because I put them on a list. It's a very eighteen-year-old perspective, and it suits the genre.

The writing is solid--not wonderful, but not distracting. The novel privileges friendships over romances, which is something that needs to happen more in fiction. There's also a nicely done subplot of a character realizing (and accepting) that he's bisexual, and I appreciate that there's no attempt to gloss over the fact that he likes boys and girls in the text. I was less fond of the way some of the other characters react to it, but there's some genuine attempt to mediate it later on. (There's also maybe a case to be made for another character being asexual, but it's never stated outright.) Cady's typical "girl jealousy" is off-putting, and I wish Kerick had been as sensitive to her female characters as she is to her LGBTQ representation.

The plot takes an unexpected turn in the middle from the characters doing cute (if mildly reckless) bucket list things to a whole lot of relationship drama. It's a little overwhelming, and Cady and Cooper treating other people like they don't matter makes it difficult to like them. Their lack of awareness of their privilege is breathtaking, and I like that Eli forces them to accept some things about themselves that aren't that comfortable. While it is ultimately a friendship novel, the friendships are sometimes handled with all the drama of a romance. I could have done with less angst but, again, it's a novel about teenagers. Everything seems like a big deal then, and going away to college only adds to the pressure. It's a sweet one-time read, but not something I'll return to.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Didn't love this book.
I couldn't decide if I wanted them to like each other or not; then we met the carnival guy and it all got even more strange. Did not finish.

This was kind of an odd book. The main characters are best friends, Cady and Cooper and they have a solid friend relationship that only recently has introduced the possibility of romance. They spent all of high school studying and being good kids/students so they decide to spend the weekend before their graduation doing things they think other hs kids have been doing all 4 years (at least once anyways). That premise is kind of cute, that they want to have some "fun" and let loose a little. They meet another teen Eli who is homeless pretty much and works at the carnival in town. They invite him to hang with them and they all have fun. Their relationship with Eli is the odd part. They both like him in a romantic way but neither Copper nor Cady talk to each other or him about it and they all kind of gt messed up emotionally. Cady has a messed up home life and she withdraws while eventually Eli and Cooper become friends again. IT is interesting as it is not a romance at all but a friend story. I love Eli because he is so nice and generous and responsible. What a great characters. I like this author too but this book is not among my favorites. It was somewhat confusing, especially the first part. But read it for the friends aspect!

Where to begin, where to begin...

First, Mia Kerick's books are always well-written and interesting, so when I first read the blurb for this story, I had *assumed* that this would be another of her compelling M/M romances. But...

This. Is. Not. A. Romance.

If you're looking for the slow burn of attraction, turning into swooning feelings as those feelings are acted upon, I have several other book recommendations, but this story would not be on that list.

Instead, this was a book about high school friendship, which was fine, but not really what I personally was hoping for. This was more the ultimate "And they lived happily ever after -- as friends" tale.

Also, this was not really my definition of M/M. To me, of the three MC's, the book felt more about Cady, the female friend, than either of the two guys.

And we need to have ourselves a little talk about Cady.

...when Cady gets embarrassed she sets her sharp tongue free to wreak havoc on the innocent— and the less than innocent

She was supposed to be this "take no prisoners" tomboy, but for me, she was nearly everything that I truly did not enjoy about this book.

Cadence, aka Cady, bisexual boy Cooper's best friend, had a huge tendency to write people off, abandoning them at her leisure, then indulging in way too much mental flagellation after the fact. I found her to be exhausting, especially when she teamed up with the mean, drunken, pretty girls as a way to pass her time during her spat with Cooper.

Then we had Cooper, who'd recently come to terms with his bisexuality, thanks to kisses from both Cady and their new friend Eli. But Cooper was 1,000% submissive to Cady's wishes, until it was too late, and he found himself going along with Cady in agreeing to betray Eli's fragile trust.

Eli, Eli, Eli. I have to say that most things good in this story revolved around Eli. He was such a sweet soul and his difficult life story made me want to swaddle him in bubble wrap and hug him close to me until he almost couldn't breathe. I'm a cuddler. Sue me.

As the book wraps up, and Cady finally, thank God almighty, finally pulls her head out of her obstinate ass, her actions do improve, but I was already pretty much over her by that point, especially for a "just friends" ending.

So to help determine if you think you want to read this book, the question at the end of the blurb is very important for you to answer:

Must friendship play second fiddle to romance? Or can [friendship] be the ultimate prize?

In other words, if you're not all about the romance, happy with a meaningful friendship, you will probably enjoy this story a bit more than I did.

But I needed at least some romance.

Overall, I'd have to rate this one at around 2.75 "it's not you, it's me" stars.