This is such a relevant book to the current state of North America and it will connect to do many readers who have parents that won't except them for who they are. The cast of characters is so loveable, the themes are on point, and the murder mystery aspect was set up very well.

excuse me while I scream into the void how much I loved this book.

a book about a world where witches, werewolves, and all the other paranormal creatures are all blended with the humans, all centring around a group of kids in high school. it's like it was made for me. I have always loved magical-realism books and this is kinda the perfect description of it all; real-world settings but with a touch of fantasy sprinkled in. It almost reminded me of 'the rest of us just live here' by Patrick Ness but I enjoyed this one a lot more.

it started out like some silly early 200's teen rom-com vibes but once the plot got going, it became much deeper and powerful. the analogies of both racism and homophobia in this world were so beautifully done. especially the ending where everything got very dark very fast was so painful but it really drove home a lot of the more understated references.

I didn't love all the characters, mostly Aiden, and some of them felt a little flatter than others but within the space, I liked having the large range of characters, and I think it was more important.

the other book by Lukens that I read, I didn't love, the writing style didn't work for me in a high fantasy world and it didn't mesh how I would have wanted it to. BUT in a more modern/real-world setting, I think this is where their work truly shines.


thanks to simon & schuster canada/margaret k. mcelderry books, and netgalley for the arc!

Love at Second Sight might be my new favourite FT Lukens book! This was giving early 2010s CW shows, but diverse, which was delightful. The plot was fun, I think the book balanced the mystery plot line well with Cam's discovery of his powers, sometimes one took the back seat to the other but the story was always moving in a way that kept me engaged. I loved the entire cast of characters in this one, every member of this budding friend group leapt off the page and I would gladly read more books in this world with these characters. I thought Cam's personal journey was really well done, it was emotional and powerful, and the romance subplot was really cute and tender.

I will definitely be recommending this one, it was a fantastic read and I've been thinking about it ever since I finished it!