“I don’t want to talk,” Kayla replied. “Sex or not, I didn’t like Jason like that, so I broke up with him. I shouldn’t have started dating him in the first place. Apparently he liked me and everyone thought I should. So I did because....” Because maybe she’d seem normal, maybe no one would realize how different she was. “Because they expected me to. But it didn’t feel right, so I broke up with him. You should be proud of me for not being pressured into anything more!”

I really loved this book. Kayla's ace experience resonated so heavily with me, and I adored reading about her growing relationship with Althea. Considering the book was so short I wasn't expecting to become so attached to the characters, but I was thinking about Kayla and Althea long after I finished reading. I appreciated all the windows into Kayla's life: her relationship with Althea, with her mother, with school. Even Mr. March, who only appeared briefly in a few scenes, was someone I was looking forward to seeing whenever he did return.

Kate Sands has a lovely writing style that compliments Kayla's narration - her emotions are always so clearly shown and understandable, and the development of the friendship between her and Althea is always done with an immense amount of care. Though this book doesn't have the amount of pages of a full-length novel, the world Sands immerses us in always feels alive - my only complaint is that some side characters can feel like they aren't fully fleshed out.

Overall, a lovely book to relax across from the fireplace with, packing enough emotional punch to keep the pages turning.