“Perhaps unrequited love was like a specter in the house, a presence that brushed at the edge of senses, a heat in the dark, a shadow under the sun.” —Millie Fitzhugh

08/24/24: I HAVE BEEN EYEING THIS BOOK ON MY SHELF FOR MONTHS WANTING TO REREAD, SO I FINALLY SAID FUCK IT AND PICKED IT UP AGAIN. sometimes i get the itch to read this trope and this book does it SO well. like fitz actually is so fucking crazy for not kissing millie on the mouth immediately (that one kiss notwithstanding) and millie is fucking crazy for falling head over heels for a man she just saw. like it’s a wonder that i enjoy this as much as i do. the hero is unbearable in his disinterest, the love at first sight—but, god, thomas does the hurt of unrequited love soooooo well. like it’s actually insane how much i want to tear my heart out. ugh. if i reread this again don’t look at me i’m in a mood

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01/27/23: i peeked at the other reviews and i might be an outlier here but i ADORE angst. in fact, i was looking specifically for something like this—a heroine pining away, a hero who couldn’t care less—for AGES i’ve literally been prowling the inside of my cage trying to find something with unrequited love that feels Right and this was it for sure! there’s an ease to thomas’ writing that cannot be understated too fr. some cons: apologies but i did not care about the subplot with helena and hastings & there was not a lot of ravishing which is just a mild disappointment but vibes