This was a really fun book! It’s a YAF romcom with somewhat low stakes, with some outside problems that may raise the stakes, and a very loveable cast of characters. The humor is fantastic and I found myself laughing constantly and smiling over the dialogue or just general thoughts from the main character.
This book has an adorable meet cute and the beginning hooked me right away. This is a “slow burn” romcom, (or at least slow burn for a YAF novel). So knowing that Zack, the main character, was going to have to earn Chip’s (the love interest) trust, I knew I might be waiting a bit. There were some slow points in the writing for me that felt like it dragged the story a bit, but that being said, it didn’t last for long. Robby’s great writing picked the story back up and the romance progressed, the stakes were raised slightly, and the humor was always consistent.
As for the characters, I LOVED Chip and all of Zack’s friends. And all of the moments with Chip and Zack while Zack was pining for Chip were so adorable and fun to read. I can guarantee, I was giggling. I didn’t love Zack at some points and some choices that he made I definitely disagreed with, but he does develop as a character. You see him grow with the help of his friends and he grows and changes as any character should.
The setting of the aquarium and marine institute was perfect. It was so wonderful to see the characters have moments in the aquarium or in shark costumes (if you know, you know). Seeing characters’ passion for sea life and the overall well-being of the planet was really fun to read about. It was clear, Robby was well-informed about the ocean and marine life before making a character passionate about it. The aspect of marine life also helps Zack and Chip bond even more, which I loved.
This novel, just like Robby’s debut, is the perfect summer beach read; it has the perfect amount of humor, heart, romance, and Taylor Swift references to make you have an amazingly fun time while reading this book.
Thank you so much to InkYard Press and Robby Weber for sending me an arc (advanced reader’s copy) of this book, and stay tuned for Robby on my bookish podcast, Try Reading!
