Kate

I never want to stop reading Amy Harmon's words. Ever. Ugh. I can't even write a coherent review for this book. I'm not usually a fan of fantasy but I was captivated by this from the very beginning. The world Amy Harmon builds is unique and filled with magic and intriguing characters. Lark and Tiras are connected in ways you can't even imagine and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end.

I'm so disappointed. This was just... not good and not needed. If you were hoping for more Elio and Oliver, you'll be sorely disappointed to find out that their paths don't even cross again until about 90% of the way into this book.

The first half is focused on Elio's father, Samuel, ten years after Oliver's summer in Italy. Now divorced from Elio's mother, Samuel meets a woman half his age on a train, and they fall in love instantly. I ended up skimming through a lot of this as I just couldn't make myself care. I didn't come here for Samuel's story, I came for more Elio and Oliver.

The next section is devoted to Elio and his meeting with a man twice his age (not sure what was up with the huge age gaps in this book) and their subsequent love affair. There are moments where Elio's pain over his lost love shines through and those are what kept me reading because to be honest, I didn't care about this new relationship either.

Next comes a brief section devoted to Oliver. It's approximately twenty years later and at a party in his honor, a friend plays a piece on the piano that immediately transports him back to that Italian summer so many years ago when Elio played that same piece for him. It is clear that Oliver hasn't been the same since that summer and he wonders if he should make a trip back to Italy.

This final section is where I was hoping the story would make up for all the crap that took up the first 85% of the book but sadly it didn't. The reunion between Elio and Oliver is incredibly rushed, on one page Oliver is thinking about going to Italy, and the next they're literally weeks into their visit. The intensity that was originally there between Elio and Oliver in Call Me By Your Name is severely lacking. What should be a satisfying end to their story, isn't. I wish I hadn't even bothered with this.

The story was a bit slow at times but for the most part it kept me interested. I didn't feel connected to the characters and at times, Cody was simply unlikeable. I didn't feel a connection between Cody and Ben and their relationship wasn't very believable to me. I don't believe Cody got the closure she needed in Meg's death and I was a bit disappointed in the end.

Loved this book. In my opinion, this is definitely an instance where the sequel is better than the original. The story is definitely emotional as there were times when I felt Adam's pain and heartbreak, yet it also made me smile. The way the author ends the book is the perfect closure to Mia and Adam's story. Highly recommended!