This book is so problematic

I realised I’ve never really been through a realist YA romance phase. I went from vampires and fantasy straight to dark realism basically. I watched loads of teen films, but I never read John Green for example. Or ‘The Kissing Booth’. Let us not forget that 13-year-old me didn’t like anything that was popular.

So here I am, 21, working on my English Lit dissertation, reading this teenage rom-com because Beth Reekles was 15 when she posted this book on Wattpad and got offered a publishing contract by Penguin at 17.

I’m 100% convinced that my 13-year-old self would’ve loved it. It’s got cute guys, well-written make-out scenes, and some drama. 10/10 would have told all my friends to read it. My 21-year-old self, however, finds it so problematic. The love interest is extremely toxic and his behaviour is more than questionable. The protagonist hiding this whole thing from her best friend is a horrible idea. There are a whole lot of double standards going on. But, I have to admit that I’m invested and halfway through.