Honestly, I picked this book because I really liked the cover. I am guilty of being a huge judge a book by its cover person, and in this instance it failed me.

I couldn't connect with any of the characters and a lot of the story plot left me wanting and the relation ship between Koda and Sadie made me uncomfortable. Was not a fan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This wasn’t for me, I’m afraid! The main character did not interest me. I really expected something different going into it - nothing was speaking to me. I did not get very far into it.

I wanted to love this book because I love Simon & Schuster forever and ever, but Koda's relationship with Sadie is inappropriate and problematic, and was not something that I could look past.

A great young adult novel for fans of When We Were Strangers and other stories of the complications of familial relationships and teens dealing with imperfect parents. This novel is full of great characters and compelling plots. Definitely recommended.

This one just wasn't for me. I didn't like the weird relationship between Sadie and Koda. That age gap was wayyyy to big for my comfort.

I personally did not care for this story. Normally I’m down with an unlikable narrator, they add so much to the story. But Koda wasn’t even fun to dislike. I find it difficult to fall into a story when I can’t connect with the characters on some level. While this story is 100% perfect for high school students, it is not one I would place in my 7th grade library.

This is not what I expected from this book at all.
I thought this would be a sad queer romance like the books I've read by Adam Silvera and Nina LaCour!
This was very different from those and I feel like the description was very misleading.

The main character, Koda (17), has no friends except for her (former ?) best friend Lindsay. She's also supposed to be in love with Lindsay, however ... she forms some kind of relationship with her dead dad's ex-girlfriend (Sadie) WHO IS THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD. I lost it when they kissed.

This is problematic and toxic in so many ways and there wasn't nearly enough criticism of it? If at all? Koda doesn't tell anyone about her relationship with Sadie but her reason for that is that her mum doesn't like Sadie and doesn't want Koda to know her NOT that they somehow have somewhat of a romantic connection!

This was so confusing. I could have understood them .. becoming friends or whatever because they both KIND OF miss Koda's father (Koda never got to know him though) and probably think they can share their loss with each other or whatever BUT when they kissed? That was truly it for me.

What kind of message is this supposed to be? It's even worse because it does kind of send the message that queer people are pedophiles?? Which is such a harmful stereotype. There are so many things wrong with this!

I received an e-arc on Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

I'm sure that the target readers will enjoy this more, but the story of Koda Rose and her search for something to tie her to her father, a Kurt Cobain-esque figure who died when she was a few months old. Mom is virtually absent, busy helping save a Magazine (never named) and just assuming Koda would settle in to a new school, new city and new life without any problems. And then there's Sadie, the probable love of Mack's life and former bandmate, who may have the answers Koda seeks... you just know that's not going to go well.

While Koda's search was understandable, she's not that likeable and her relationships with everyone (Sadie, mom, and her BFF from Back Home, Lindsey) do nothing to change that impression. Everyone, in fact, seems to be a stereotype rather than a fully fleshed out person. And the plot? Equally predictable.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

I’ll start with, I’ve been really into older YA books lately and this fit the bill! Not only did I love the LGBTQ diversity but Koda Rose FELT like an 18 year old. Someone who hasn’t had much time to play with her sexuality and is just now getting to feel like an adult; even if it is behind her mothers back. Even by the end you can still feel her immaturity and naiveness, although she has learned a lot more by then about both herself, her family, and the world around her. Even in the middle of the book she begins to act, and think, like a teenager does which is exactly what someone who’s 17 turning 18 would do.

The only reason I’m not giving this a five star rating is because of the relationship between Sadie and Koda. It wasn’t lacking by any means, so it wasn’t anything that was missing from it. At times it felt like a missing-link mother-daughter or even aunt-niece relationship and in others it felt like Koda was hinting at it being more. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable with the age gap between them, however it’s understanding because Koda Rose IS still a child. She may not fully understand what it is to herself either, which as a 21 year old, I still feel at times. If anything the ending leaves Koda Rose as someone who can be explored further as she grows up.
Overall, I do highly recommend the book to anyone wanting a story about a girl discovering her sexuality, her courage, and her family. It was a great read!!

DNF @ 30%.
I had a lot of trouble getting into this story. Something about the main character's voice unfortuntely didn't engage me,