*This is the second standalone book in an interconnected series! The first book, “The Revenge Pact” by Ilsa Madden-Mills is out now.

Official Synopsis:

I haven’t seen her in three years.

I haven’t talked to her since the kiss.

So why am I on a plane, flying across the world to spend a week with her in Germany?

One word: Pops.

My life’s a mess.
My possible football career is hanging on by a thread.
I’m driving the roads of Germany in honor of Pops with the one girl I can never have.
And I’m sharing a bed with her, the girl I’ve measured everyone else up to, while desperately trying to not to touch her.

We made a pact growing up, never to get romantic with each other – never fall in love.

And I’m about to break that pact. For good.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Review:

First things first, Crew and Hazel watch “Love, Simon” on the plane ride to Germany, so…respect (that’s one of my fave movies of all time).

The book took a little bit for me to get into, but after the initial plane ride, it picked up for me. I really liked Hazel and Crew — especially Hazel. At the beginning, she was like Cards Against Humanity personified — vulgar but hilarious. Her questions get tamer as the story goes, but the introduction to her character through the use of her personal questions to Crew showed a lot of her personality, which I loved.

Getting to see snippets of River (from the first book) & Hollis (who’ll be in the next one) was fun too, especially since the setting of this book was such a departure (pun intended) from the last book. I also liked that it took place around roughly the same time (ish) — plus, as a senior in college myself, stuck at home because of the pandemic…it was nice to read a story about kids my age actually getting to go out around other people.

This was my first Meghan Quinn book, and I wasn’t disappointed! I’d love to read more in the future. In an addition to the “new adult books have sexual content so read at your own risk” disclaimer, this one had more sexual content than other new adult college books I’ve read…so refer back to the disclaimer 🙂

At the heart of the story is the connection between Hazel, Crew, and Crew’s grandfather (& Hazel’s pseudograndfather). As they follow the trip he planned for them and read his letters, it was so sweet and heartfelt. Especially the gift he gave them for Christmas Eve — literally had me crying.

Overall, this was a fun book, one I would definitely recommend to fans of “Finding It” by Cora Carmack.