I wouldn't rated this book a lot higher if not for the beginning of the book - the author has her characters criticize modern YA novels that deal with real life and difficult subjects. This rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, it's okay to tell stories of characters who aren't dealing with those real life things, but to criticize any story with mental health or LGBT+ characters? That's in bad taste. Normally, I wouldn't rate by the author, but she decided that her characters should say it and thus it's part of the story.

I feel as if the girls in their limited view of the world do grow as people and learn from each other. So, if the first part had never happened I would've probably rated this 4 stars instead.