Absolutely devastating in the same vein as "The Darkness Outside Us". I read this in a matter of hours and felt my stomach drop when I realized that Kevin Snipes was GOING THERE. He was taking this story and all of the foreshadowing to its natural conclusion. And it KILLED ME in the best way possible.

I had some issue with the original conflict between Riley and Jackson in the beginning— it seemed like something someone might post to go viral on instagram rather than an actual talking point a teenager might make in conversation, but I sort of began to see it, in the context of Riley's other interactions, as him being purposefully over-the-top trying to make Jackson slip up and prove that he was just another conservative football bro.

I loved everything else about it and don't know enough about history to nitpick anything that happened. I was able to absolutely vibe and enjoy the heartwreching trope of "I will find you in this life and the next". The Kesha of it all. All of the side characters were fleshed out in a way that felt very real and we saw different bits of them from Riley and Jackson's POVs, and they didn't feel like props around Riley and Jackson's relationship. Duy was so incredibly funny at points that I literally laughed out loud.

Absolutely BANGER of a book. Funny, sad, loving... 6 stars.

If you like They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, this book is definitely up your alley. I really liked the cyclic and historical elements of this story, and the journey of Riley and Jackson falling in love. I found this extremely engaging and hard to put down because I wanted to see why they were being reincarnated and why they remembered their past lives. The ending wrecks me and I wish it could have gone another way, but I also understand why this was choices made for the story, and how cyclic everything is for Riley and Jackson and their history and future.

even though time traveling is sometimes not my favourite thing to read, i do the star-crossed lovers trope. i like to believe soulmates find each other in every life, the same way jackson and riley find each other in every life.

however, i really hope we are getting a second book, because what the hell was that ending? like based on the number of pages i had left, and how the story was progressing, i knew it was coming, but kevin, i beg you. you can’t leave it like that because i will simply riot.

that being said, many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher HarperCollins, and most of all, the author, Kevin Christopher Snipes, for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.

Recipe: take 60% cuteness from Simon James Green, add 20% love that’s needed to survive from The Darkness Outside Us, and top off with 20% Death-Cast from They Both Die at the End.

Don’t Let Go is pitched as Adam Silvera meets Eliot Schrefer, but I need to tell you that this story is far from angsty. It’s sweet, vivid, and witty. At least, most of the time …

The book starts with Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius, and I immediately sat on the edge of my seat. Just like I did when I met the boys in the now. Even though Riley was five seconds hostile towards Jackson, this changed fast, and a strong bond grew between those guys who dared to be incredibly vulnerable to each other. So many smiles danced on my face, even in those ancient times when they were so in love and always died at the end (it’s in the blurb).

I adored the first part of this story and still loved the second half. I only wanted a bit more tension until I sat on the edge of my seat again and gasped for air! My heart was full of love and I cried big, ugly tears. That ending was perfect! I’m not sure, though, if everyone will feel the same way …

Actual rating: first half 5 stars, second half 3.4-4 stars, ending 5 stars.