Jack and Oscar have great banter that makes it really easy to see how compatible they are. Jack has believed he is straight his entire life and for a while is in denial of his feelings for Oscar. Eventually, as he has more time to analyze his feelings for Oscar, he admits to himself and to Oscar that he is attracted to him. It was interesting to see Jack understand and come to terms with his sexuality, especially in the public eye. Privacy is a large reason they delayed sharing their newfound relationship status.  Another factor was Jack's fear of disappointing his family. There is a lot of stigma against bisexual/pansexual people unfortunately, and Jack's fears of not being "queer enough" were also explored in a realistic way. Unfortunately, the LGBT+ has problems with gatekeeping (especially asexual and bisexual people). Jack had never dated men before Oscar. Part of his insecurity about his sexuality is tied to his lack of dating experience with men. Thankfully, Oscar is more experienced than Jack in exploring and accepting his sexuality. In many ways he serves as a supportive and loving guide for Jack through their romantic relationship. Oscar allows Jack to not feel judged for what he wants to experiment with or not, both sexually and romantically. 

This book felt like it was as much about Oscar and Jack as it was about Charlie. Oscar and Jack spend the most amount of time with Charlie. He is the solitary Cobalt that cares for his family in unconventional ways. He shows love by doing things that inconvenience him for the benefit of his loved ones (even Maximoff with whom he has only recently patched things up with). Since moving to New York, he has taken on the responsibility of supervising his siblings. He gives them a hard time for it too, albeit while continuing to help them. It's really entertaining to watch because he will annoy his siblings and give them a hard time but then immediately make a phone call to solve their problems and clean up their mistakes. Charlie is much more than just an entitled jerk. He is intelligent, perceptive, a loner, and also self destructive when he wallows. By the end of the book, Charlie and Oscar have developed a friendship built on mutual respect. 

Charlie is someone whose respect or interest is gained easily. At the same time, it is clear that he craves a relationship like that between Oscar/Jack and Farrow/Maximoff. We got a bit of foreshadowing about this potential at the end of the book that I'm hoping gets more development later on. I have a feeling Charlie is the Cobalt that most takes after his father. This is great for me considering that before the Calloways had kids he was my favorite character. I'm looking forward to seeing Charlie more often.