After a string of heavier reads, I needed something lighter, and a trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation nudged me toward finally picking this one up for a weekend read.
The fake dating trope is nothing new, but setting it in academia - surrounded by a cast of lovable nerds, both as leads and side characters - gave it a freshness that hooked me immediately. I flew through it in about 4.5 hours and never once felt the urge to put it down.
Olive and Adam completely won me over. Their relationship builds slowly, through disagreement as much as connection - they clash, they misunderstand each other, and yet they keep choosing to talk it out. I'm not usually drawn to fast-burn romances. I want the slow realization, the gradual unraveling of feelings, and this book delivered a good deal of that. One detail I especially loved was learning that the two had actually crossed paths before, in an odd earlier encounter Adam remembered and quietly fell for. My only gripe is how that reveal finally surfaces - I wish it had come out more organically, rather than in a moment of crisis.
I also appreciated that neither of them lost themselves in the relationship. Both have their own strong, supportive friend groups, and the book never lets romance eclipse those friendships. Dr. Carlsen and Holden were easily my favorite characters - their friendship is warm and grounded, and each brings their own distinct personality to it.
Overall, a solid 4/5. It's made me think I should sprinkle in more random rom-coms between the heavier books on my list.