Honestly, the book lost me with its titular concept. I simply cannot relate to a character who would willingly subject herself to all of this heartbreak with a girl who clearly doesn’t respect her. Laura Dean dumps her, cheats on her, etc. She’s forever an afterthought for Laura Dean and yet she keeps going back to that well. I know sometimes what we want doesn’t make sense, and it’s probably rooted in her not valuing and respecting herself enough, but it still took me out of the book.
Thankfully she’s able to mature and develop beyond that. Despite that, she was just a little too far gone at the beginning for me to care as much as I feel I should have. She was so singularly focused on this girl that her best friend became as much of an afterthought to her as she was to Laura Dean. Again, realistic I guess, since some people do struggle with maintaining both. A former friend of mine basically became a non-entity anytime he was in a relationship. But it still didn’t sit well with me, nor did where things eventually wind up with her friend. It felt rushed and unearned to me.
This all being said, I’m probably just a grumpy grump and I’m sure next to nobody will agree with me on any of this.
