I received this Netgalley ARC for free from Kanter’s agent in exchange for an honest review

It may have been a few years since Solomon first published the adventures and romance of longtime rivals, Rowen and Neil on the eve of their graduation, but it’s only been a summer for the overachievers. Now, they’re apart for the first time and in different states as they encounter freshmen fifteen and what is supposed to be the rest of their lives.

Now that Rowen has gained some confidence in writing the romance genre she loves, and knowledge that life can sometimes exceed the fantasies in her head, she’s excited to venture into her first writing workshops in the publishing hotbed of Boston. But surrounded by her fellow writers, Rowen doesn’t feel inspired. She feels lost, intimidated and worst of all, completely blocked.

Neil is not having a great time either. Even though his new photography friends embrace them in their clique and he’s sipping coffee and speedwalking like a real New Yorker, his past is racing behind him. Remember his hot-tempered, enjailed father? Well, he’s going to have that confrontation he thought he was ready for. He so isn’t and the boy who always ontop of everything can’t grasp his rapidly sliding mental health nor communicate with his girlfriend.

While it’s easy to think Neil and Rowen’s story was closed in Today Tonight Tomorrow, Solomon displays there’s a lot more in store for them. For once we get to see the satisfying payoff of the two-at odds protagonists enjoying their coupledom. And we get Neil’s POV! Though it’s not without its roadblocks.

Solomon wrings out a lot of relatability in the uncertainties of freshmen year. Yes, you get to throw off the shackles of your home life and be a new person, explore who you really want to be. You also face that without your family right there behind you, there’s a lot you don’t know and it’s hard to navigate by yourself. Your flaws seem more pronounced now that you’re surrounded by strangers. You long for home but don’t want to go back. You want the future, but you’re scared of what it might hold. Seriously, this is a seriously meaningful title.

As a writer myself, I completely understood Rowen’s confusion and angst about not writing. Granted she’s in undergrad and I was in graduate school, but same thing. You’re in a program dedicated to writing and suddenly you can’t write is the worst feeling in the world. You question if this is really what you’re meant to do? Are you good enough? Should I go for something more stable? Perhaps I’m a projected my recent experiences a bit but Solomon did a great job in portraying that paralyzation that perfectionism brings.

Neil’s situation is a bit more serious as it deals with emotional abuse his father wrought on the family and indirect physical abuse which can be jusy as scary as the actual punch because you’re just waiting for it to be directed at you. Neil’s story was intriguing in TTT, but what is intriguing and sympathetic in a love interest is traumatizing when you are directly dealing with the affect effects and unprocessed feelings. Neil says he’s getting over the presence/absence of his father, but again, he’s not. Mental health has always been an running theme in Solomon’s books but she does a real deep dive into the isolation Neil feels before he gets help for his underlying mental health and works out a treatment plan.

He has to come to terms with how this will stay with him most of his life, there’s stigma but it’s not as bad as it is painted on the internet etc. We had only had glimpses of Neil in the first book, but diving into his mindset and the pressure he puts on himself made this a very strong story. Plus, this felt like a natural arc that could almost have been forshadowed in the first book, utilizing what we already know about Neil to craft such a wonderful exploration of how his obsessiveness and guilt turn on him.

Weaving these two arcs together, Solomon shows how long distance can work out with a lot of communication. YA romances (and adult) rarely deals with the work after the initial get-together and the work needed to keep the relationship going. It’s harder when they’re in different states but both make a concentrated effort to communicate, stay connected and offer comfort when you wish you could physically be there for them. There are moments of second-guessing and fear as Neil slowly unravels, but Solomon shows how strong their bond is in the long-run as the relationship adjusts with their changing identities.

My grandfather once said when he married my grandmother, it was because he could see being married to er even when they become different people. That’s what happens in relationships and I found it heartwarming to see that Rowen and Neil can be there for each other as they become different people in their freshmen year of college.

5 stars.