4 stars *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
”You can either let everything steal your joy, or realize the only thing in control is your joy.”

i’ve never read an arc before… yet somehow netgalley seemed to know i’d like this one and recommended it to me! this story was so so adorable and i really enjoyed reading it.

being a teen myself (disclaimer: i am very white… definitely not the target audience for this book), jaelyn was unbelievably well written. in some books i read, the main character behaves like an adult and i surprise myself when i remember they’re 16-17. jaelyn, however, acted exactly like a 16 year old should. at least imo 😆 every aspect of her felt so real and raw - her fading friendship with noe, her relationship with trey, her interactions with the adults. not every author can pull off a well-written teen mc but vinson did it well. plus, jaelyn’s personality was so lovely to read about - her undying love for westside roll and the skating community was just beautiful.

one aspect i particularly adored was jaelyn’s relationship with trey. full disclosure, i was motivated to pick this up when i read the description that mentioned these two meeting. lol. once again, not every YA romance feels very… YA? yk? it’s so romanticised to the point you forget teenagers aren’t mature enough to be talking like that. however, vinson does this romance wonderfully. trey and jaelyn were written as two teenagers falling in love - including the arguments, including the learning to trust each other, including the not-so-nice moments that come with teen love. and i was SAT for it.

”Zero dollars and zero cents. Every ride.
How do you profit?
I get your time. I think that’s good enough.”

i will make a BIG WARNING ⚠️ that this book is tagged as poetry for a reason. don’t be like me - read the tags!! that’s the only reason i gave this 4 stars and not 5. i personally didn’t vibe with the poetry style of writing but i’m sure other readers will enjoy this.

quotes *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
”I also love skating alone,
Just me. Eyes closed,
(little) hips swinging,
mouth wide, singing loudly.”

”There was this move you did
at the rink the other night. I liked it.
You were watching me?”

”Would you do it again?
Me and her?
No, a girlfriend in general.
If the other person in the car wanted that.”

”Even when the rink is gone,
we have to keep this going,
‘cause I don’t plan on failing you.”

”They can snatch our neighbourhood,
steal our livelihood,
but they can never
take us away from
each other.”

conclusion *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
if you want an adorable YA romance mixed with a heartwarming story about fighting for what you love, this book is for you. hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

Under the Neon Lights publishes on june 3, 2025. thank you to netgalley and penguin random house for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.</b>

This book tells a story about friendship, community, love and fighting for something you believe in. But it's also a story about injustice and the unfairness of this world. The characters were well written and I enjoyed the way they interacted with each other! And I loved all the roller skating!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!