"We're everything. Anything. Whatever we want."
Release Date: January 3, 2023
Genre: Young adult romance, fiction
TW: parental abandonment/absent parent, anxiety, OCD,
Rating:
Summary:
Could you brave the wilderness with your highly suspicious and unfairly cute ex-best friend?
Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect: he's a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes...except the ones he shares with Celine Bangura. They used to be best friends, until Brad decided he was too cool for conspiracy-theory-obsessed Celine and literally abandoned her for the popular kids' table. (At least, that's how Celine sees it). These days, Brad hates her guts-and the feeling is mutual.
So when Celine signs up for a two-part survival course in the woods, she definitely doesn't expect to find Brad right beside her. Forced to work together for the chance to win the grand prize, Celine and Bradley must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. As this adventure brings them closer, they start to remember all the good parts of their history.
But has too much time passed...or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?
Review:
Hey everyone! It's been a minute hasn't it? I just finished reading this book but it took me an OBSCENE amount of time to finish reading it. 3 WHOLE WEEKS. That is a long time for me when I normally consume a book in less than a week! Albeit, I had a LOT going on in my life that made it difficult to sit down and read. However, I also found myself just...not wanting to read this book? When I did have time to sit down and read, I found myself wishing I had something else to read instead. But let's get into it!
I discovered this book strolling through my local Barnes & Noble and there was such a cute display advertising this book. I am such a sucker for a good cover and the summary seemed cute, so I picked it up!
Here's what I loved:
I really loved ALL the characters in the book. Not just our amazing main characters, Brad and Celine. But also their families, their school friends, and their new found friends at the survival course. I truly was invested in all their stories and their interactions (which rarely happens for me).
My FAVORITE character was Bradley. He is such a unique, refreshing individual. He is a star football player who is extremely smart, very kind, compassionate, bisexual and has OCD! What a well-rounded character. I loved the mental health representation when discussing OCD. Brad has been to therapy for his OCD and regularly uses different coping mechanisms and skills when he is having a hard time with his OCD. It is not WHO he is but it is a huge part of him and greatly affects his thinking as well as his every day life. Also to see that he has cultivated such great people in his life that accept him and are patient with him.
The witty banter between Celine and Brad was off-the-charts and was VERY funny.
It was also a book that touched on a lot of deep, mature topics but in such an easy-going and light-hearted way.
What was not my favorite:
This book immediately gives off enemies-to-lovers and grumpy x sunshine vibes but I felt that it was not adequately delivered. These concepts were not fully fledged. This was such an interesting timeline between Celine and Brad but it was SO RUSHED. It felt like we just sped through it so quickly. They used to be friends, now they are enemies but also becoming frenemies, to friends again, to enemies again, to lovers. It felt as if we spent no time really delving into WHY their friendship ended and also these two characters truly discussing what happened. Then spent almost no time discussing how they were ENEMIES FOR YEARS but now they are somewhat passive aggressive acquaintances? To then discovering they are actually in love with each other? It just felt like so many plot lines were being thrown at the reader and not fully developed. It was really great to read what was going on in both of their heads about what happened and their new relationship, but I don't feel they every truly communicated that to each other. This was a big no-no for me. Something as special and once-in-a-lifetime that Brad and Celine has deserves a conversation. It deserves more information and that was sadly lacking for me.
The story was simply...flat for me. I kept waiting for the magic, the spark but sadly it fizzled out for me. Truly, a forgettable book for me (which I absolutely HATE to say). Let me be clear, it was not a bad book but it could have been MORE. I guess I am guilty for having too high of expectations.
Quotes:
"You don't need to be special or significant to have value. You're just as important, always, and people either see that or they don't."
"I'm positive. You're Brad Fucking Graeme. I'd bet on you any day."
"Nothing changes if we don't make it change."
"We're everything. Anything. Whatever we want."
