if you're looking for an intricate and complex plot, this is not that book. if you're looking for high action or excessive drama between the MCs, this is not that either. this is hands down one of the sweetest romances i've read.

it's a coming-of-age story, especially for our girl wren, who throughout this book goes on a journey of liberating herself sexually and breaking out of the box she has put herself in her whole life, and the boy, crew, who helps her accept herself. The viral kiss and the video of Tate singing at the party do wonders for both of their burgeoning careers. So after some careful negotiation, the two of them agree to start a fake relationship. But before long they discover their feelings might not be fake after all … and let’s not forget that one of the teachers at this prestigious boarding school is a known pedo/phile, yet no one does anything about it?? FINAL THOUGHTS: If you aren't running to read this right now, what are you doing? I'm so glad this is the first work of hers that I've read because I cannot wait to read more!! Return to the glittering Lancaster world with the story of a damaged woman who gets her chance to redeem herself with the one man who’s been in love with her forever…

I’ve noticed this pattern with all of Monica Murphy's books (I’ve read 2 but okay) and it’s the sexism and misogyny. exhibit two: “And then there’s my sister, Charlotte. Our father sold her to the highest bidder and now she’s married to a man she doesn’t even know. He’s a decent guy, but shit.” ??? All of her hero’s always have this “grumpy” shitty attitude that acts as an excuse for their disgusting acts and let them get away with it when they do something cheesy and “romantic” for the heroine after doing the worst things a person can do to her. I adore the bad boy trope, but Crew was not a bad boy… he was a worm. Actually, not even that because worms are very integral to the ecosystem serving a purpose on ground renewal and nutrients. Crew cannot even attest to being as useful as that.

in reality, you get the cringiest...no *creepiest* romance?? between our two main characters, wren and crew. so instead wren focuses on her school work, covering up her rapidly developing body (as a big boobed girl myself, i related so hard to her struggles with clothing, getting leering looks and her mother looking at her body in disgust😭), until a psychology project puts her and crew on the same path.also, if a boy ever tries to shove a lollipop into your vagina, RUN. preferably to a therapist or police station. it is not sexy…it is a bacteria infection waiting to happen. First I did not care for the way Crew talked to Wren or about girls in general. Rude, mysogonistic made me disgusted with him instead of making me like him. Young heiress Scarlett Lancaster is delighted when her father tells her he hired a famous pop star and former boy band member to play at her eighteenth birthday. But delight becomes utter disappointment when it turns out he wasn’t talking about Harry Styles. No, Scarlett’s dad hired Tate Ramsey, former lead singer of the band Five Car Pileup, who hasn’t been popular for years. she wears that word proudly through her purity ring, a promise she made to her father that she would only break once she is married. a good girl through and through, she is idolized by her younger peers, until her friends start to grow up and make their own choices.