This book is an intriguing and lyrical exploration of so many things. Of being a woman in your 20s. Of queerness and Jewishness and family history. Of new and inherited trauma. Of heartbreak.

The alternating perspectives really let me inside the minds of Willa and Hesper, though not always in ways that were comfortable; I paused a few times while reading and self consciously wondered if I just don’t feel things as deeply as these two, and why? Parts of their stories were so relatable, but some of their emotions and reactions were unfamiliar, overwhelming, or alienating. This isn’t bad, really — it was just an interesting experience as a reader to be simultaneously drawn towards and pushed away from these characters and their stories.

If you’re thinking about reading this book, know that it’s not a straight forward romance (like, at all). There is content relating to sexual assault, PTSD, and genocide. It’s a good book! I’d compare it to We Are Okay by Nina LaCour.

This book was a real journey. It wasn’t what I expected, which was a straightforward romance. Instead, the short, intense relationship at the beginning flung its women apart from each other in space while continuing to bind them together as they continued to journey through their lives apart. From New York City to Tbilisi to Berlin, with an ensemble of complex supporting characters, this book portrays the mental illness of the protagonists with nuance and depth, something I really appreciated and could relate to. The narrative also includes meditations on faith, fear, sexual assault, modern queer identity and how fraught it can be and how malleable to circumstances, family legacy, and pop culture references. It’s firmly rooted in the two-three years over which it takes place, namely 2015-2017 ish. It is a bit cliched with its post-election moralism. I’m right there with the devastation the characters feel, but the dialogue in that section felt like a laundry list of all the things that white americans suddenly realized were so wrong with our country. Which is realistic to the moment even if it’s not that helpful in a larger sense.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was invested in almost all of the characters. The dialogue, of which there is a lot, was mostly pretty amazing and reminded me of Sally Rooney’s dialogue: so perfectly millennial. I loved the family dynamics in Hesper’s family especially, but all of the family stuff felt real to me. I also super appreciate that this story was about lesbians, and lesbians who had a really adorable and magical relationship with each other, but that the relationship was not the end all be all. The characters themselves, and their journeys to find themselves, were. I definitely recommend this book; it’s an engrossing and fast-paced read and a great addition to the queer lit canon.

I didn't know what to expect going in, and yet this book still wasn't what I expected. It's less a love story, and more of an exploration of culture's influence to our identities. The story is fresh and interesting.