This is a truly beautiful YA book. I loved the story and characters and it is written with such amazing description. Very touching story of first love and longing, with lots of emotional family drama thrown in. This book will appeal to many readers, way beyond its target audience of young adults. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Beautiful!

There was no doubt that a book written by Kai would be soulful, cozy and full of beautiful scenes!

Luca and Simo's story has a <i>Heartstopper</i> and <i>Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda</i> vibe - boys having their first crush, coming to terms with themselves and navigating their fears, their friendship and the curveballs of teenage life while struggling with their feelings.

The small town setting is wonderfully done, it feels like a gateway to the past sometimes, with the "everyone knows everyone" Lombard society, the small island where the boys escape to be with their thoughts, the one cafe and one restaurant in the whole town.

Complicated families is another theme, with one twist after the other. I particularly loved Luca's interactions with his father, they are very honest and hilarious.

It's a book full of heart with a dual POV of two boys who hopelessly love each other and you can see it in every interaction!