This was not my favorite of Nina LaCour's, let's just get that out of the way. I was actually a little surprised that the main character and narrator was male, but it didn't take away and I still really enjoyed it. However. I didn't like Colby. It wasn't that he was a boy, it was the way that he treated the other characters and (view spoiler)[ his creepy and frankly objectifying, assumptive, and just gigantic gross obsession with Bev. It was like Paper Towns but worse because there wasn't a lesson at the end, but a weird and IMO unnecessary transition from friendship to romantic love? It's bizarre to me because LaCour didn't seem like a writer who would do that. It's SO. SO. important to acknowledge the existence of love in a friendship, that doesn't need to be forced into romance and can be platonic. It felt like friendzone placation and I did not like it at all. (hide spoiler)] But! I loved the other characters so much! The writing was, of course, fantastic, and I really loved the openness and realness of the ending (view spoiler)[ in the sense that you don't have to have everything figured out, not that everyone can just go to Europe???? But I have had friends who have done that, so it was more realistic to me than perhaps to others. (hide spoiler)]. This is definitely not a *fun summer YA read* as the cover suggest, it is definitely more of an emotional ride and deals with the tough decisions that people feel forced to make after high school, which hit home to me. I also think that the novel has a very refreshing and fun look at life, albeit very free spirited.