- #1
This isn't a romance, at least, not at its core.This story is more about the nostalgia of high school romance through the lens of multiple couples.While the point of view is from our MC, and he does develop a relationship with the ML, that's really a secondary part of the story.It's more about the threads that connect his classmates than it is about his thread. We know the end result of the thread between the MC and the ML because that's how things will end in a romance story, right? But we don't know how the relationships of those around the MC will end, and that's really where this story focuses. Because the story focuses there, the resolution to the MC's thread is dragged out as long as possible.Because the story focuses so heavily on these other threads, I was expecting more compelling and deep side characters.Nope, sorry, says the author.Flat, one dimensional, cliche cookie cutter characters. The fat guy that eats a lot? Check. The rich playboy that falls in love with the quiet top student? Check. The childhood best friends love triangle? Check.And the story bounces around between these characters too much to even give them a chance to become more. What could have been interesting stories on their own ended up relegated to flat rom-com characterizations.Which.... The story both wants to be a rom-com, and a serious story about coming of age at the same time, sometimes in the exact same moments. So the humor isn't funny because there's drama, and the drama isn't dramatic because it's cut by humor. I'm not saying you can't do both drama and humor, but it has to be balanced and well written. It's just... not. A moment that stood out to me was:Spoiler
When the overweight guy breaks up with his girlfriend, he just... eats more. We only know he's sad because he says "it doesn't taste good." But he keeps eating, and there's no other indication. The MC makes a joke about him eating too, which happens constantly, but it felt even more out of place here.
[collapse]Even the main couple's romance was underwhelming and solved within two chapters once the MC took action.I made it to the end of the main story, but I was so disinterested in the side couples (soooooo many side couples), that I just couldn't bring myself to read on.