I love Santino Hassell's gritty and realistic writing; Sutphin Boulevard and ICOS are my all-time favorites, but I feel that the characters in this book are too jaded and cynical. I couldn't connect with any of them (except maybe Charles). Oli's character particularly grated on my nerves, his hot and cold behavior is too immature for his age and life experience. (view spoiler)[The ending with Oli's out-of-nowhere love confession felt rushed. (hide spoiler)] 
 Also, it seems to me that too much attention is paid to the hordes of secondary characters who are all either ex-boyfriends, brothers or had casual sex with one another at some point. Hadn't I read the previous books, I would've certainly been overwhelmed. 
 To be honest, I like my romance books to be a little more on the romantic side. Still, looking forward to the next book.