Black & White - Episode 2: Saturation (arc) - Soph Tang

4.5 stars

This book is the first bite of a perfect toasted sandwich, the break-in of your first converse sneakers, the first wrap around of your thick scarf on a winters day. It’s screaming an Arctic Monkeys song from the car window at 2am (even though curfew was 11pm), it’s sticky diner floors, it’s tears at midnight over the overwhelming mountain of schoolwork. It’s the butterflies after your first kiss, it’s the twisting of your promise ring, it’s infinite promises and it’s violent, beautiful nostalgia.

This story is an ode to your seventeen year old self. It is all the heartbreak, the heartache, the headache (all the aches), the anxiety, the insomnia, the in-decisiveness. The mistakes, all the “firsts” and just the … “I’m trying to figure everything out for the first time, please give me a break” of it all.

In this second instalment of Black & White, we continue Elise’s journey through her schooling, her navigation between friends and her slowly figuring herself out. We see a lot of new perspectives from the characters and continue the gradual character development through a very organic and realistic sequence of events (called life).

I love that none of Soph’s work is altered or glamourised for the sake of fiction. It is raw and invasive writing that captures what it means to be young and figuring the world out for the first time. All of Soph’s books are profoundly introspective which make the reading experiences all the more immersive (and uncomfy).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the dynamic between all the friends and characters in this story is great. The characters are relatable (yes, even Theo’s internal monologue) and the titles of the chapters will have you going YES. SOMEONE PUT THAT FEELING INTO WORDS.

“You held my heart so gingerly in your hands and I stepped on yours to make a point.”

Cannot recommend Soph’s writing enough!

Thankyou so much to Soph and NetGalley for an arc of this book.

🎸 Life Just Got Louder: Saturated, Shaken, and Stirred 🎸

black&white – episode 2: saturation cranks the feels up to eleven with heart-thumping chaos, raw humanity, and a gut-punch reminder that sometimes facing your own messy truth is the real ride.

This book pulled me right back into Elise’s storm of emotions, where nothing is simple and every relationship feels like it’s teetering on the edge of something intense. The plot in saturation doesn’t just thicken—it explodes, especially with Nico’s arrival shaking everything loose. What I loved most was how the story explores emotional chaos without ever feeling forced—it just is, raw and real. I found myself relating to Elise’s struggle to hold onto herself while being swept up in the feelings of others. It’s messy, dark, and human—and I couldn’t put it down.

Oh HELLO, emotional overload—I did not come here to cry over fictional people but here we are. 💥 This book grabbed my face, screamed “FEEL THIS” and yeeted me into Elise’s technicolor chaos like a drama grenade. I was living for the drama, the dizzying highs, the total unraveling of rules (and sanity). It’s raw, queer, electric, and totally unapologetic—exactly how I like my books. Don’t read this if you’re afraid of catching feelings. Read it if you’re ready to be cracked wide open. 🌈🔥💣