What a turnaround. I loved this SO much.

If you've seen my review of Golden Boys, you'll know already how intensely I disliked that one. And honestly? I fully went into Afterglow expecting to not enjoy it as well.

Wow, wow, wow, was I surprised. This story felt like such a step forward. It was the same characters and still has four narrators. I hated that element of Golden Boys as it just felt like four completely separate stories mushed together. This absolutely wasn't the case with Afterglow.

It felt so much more cohesive. It felt like all the characters were telling their version of the same story. I followed it way easier than with Golden Boys. I'd even go as far as saying I was hooked.

The characters seemed to have much more unique voices in Afterglow, and I think because their stories were so much more intertwined, and because they had so much more interaction together, it became really easy to get invested. I have to say I loved and was rooting for all of them here.

Whereas I couldn't wait for Golden Boys to end for all the wrong reasons, I didn't want this one to end. Despite this, I couldn't put it down and was so invested in what would happen next. The plot was a great, fairly low angst, fairly easy read that just felt cosy all the way through.

I also adored the LGBTQ+ representation in this book. It was handled perfectly and felt so real and so relatable. If I'd had this book when I was a teen, I'd have probably felt like I could do anything or be anyone I wanted to.

I'm so impressed with this. Hats off to the author for pulling off what I can only describe as a miracle of a turnaround. He's won me over with this, and I'll be sure to check out his other books now.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This is my honest review.