not me starting this book with a sense of relief for finally being done with the rinaverse (which i still am) and it turning out to be one of the best stories in it. the fact this reminded me of xanderkim and adrianlia, my favorites, is perhaps why i enjoyed it so much. she made me eat my words because this was anything but predictable, and not at all what i expected. leave it to rina kent to once in a blue moon write a good book, to the point where i gaslight myself into thinking i might actually like her books. not only that, but, and i can’t believe i’m even saying this, changing my opinion about a king? there’s no love lost between me and this author, especially with how she plays favorites. and said favorites are the king family, which i’m not a fan of, aside from jonathan, and now eli. don’t get me wrong, this book was comical half of the time due to the ridiculousness of these grown ass boys still behaving like high schoolers (the old generation managing to be almost worse than the kids) and rich problems, but the mental illness of it all really touched me. i saw a lot of my struggles in the fmc, and spent the last 20% of this sobbing uncontrollably, hiccups and all, at 4 in the mourning. that’s how much i could relate to her fears and demons. which is why i appreciated eli of all people, the way he treated and handled her mental illness spoke to my yearning of having a partner who will try to understand me and see me. but overall, i’m glad this universe is over, even though the author couldn’t help herself and leave crumbs of a book she has repeatedly say she has no plans of ever writing (it being one i wouldn’t actually be mad to read, of course).