Translator here!

I don't usually write reviews on here, but this one deserves to be an exception. I'm a huge fan of the author's other work, 'An Accident in Broad Daylight' and they've lived up to my expectations in every way with this one.

This is a coming-of-age romance between two boys in their third year of high school whose experiences in life have left them battered and bruised, and the story of how they come together to heal each other.

In my opinion, this novel is criminally underrated at the moment, and... more>> I hope that more people will give it a try. The way that the relationship develops between the two of them is phenomenal, and I personally love how all the little details come together at just the right moment. The story is captivating and it really sinks its hooks into you and makes you want to understand these characters more. <<less

Underrated as hell.

A really really beautiful, realistic and youthful love story between two people who've loved, lost, and hurt.

Pros:

CHARACTERS:

• • Jing can is so well-written. His empathy, his fears- everything. A boy who simply wanted a normal life to do what he wants to do. He's very human, and I love that about him. I love him.

• • He pingyi is someone I relate to on a spiritual level so I don't want to comment too much about him, su*cide and mental illnesses have always been an incredulous concept to a lot of people, even those closest to them. But other than that, He pingyi is a very well-written character as well.

PLOT:

It's just a highschool romance story, there's nothing significant about the plot, but it's the characters and their experiences that bring it together. From Jing can's father, mother and all other side characters, all of them splash colour into the story, turning it alive. It's a beautiful novel, seriously.

I highly recommend this, it's very melancholic and the imagery is excellent in the story. It seriously felt like I was watching a movie.

Overall: 5/5

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this novel, though overall I would say I enjoyed it. I did almost drop this at start, as the first 20 or so chapters didn't hook me, and the pacing felt off with the plot and character interactions, leaving me feeling quite detached from the characters. A few of the hidden plot points felt unnecessary or excessively vague, like the identity of Song Yinan: ... more>>

Spoiler

She's just MC's step mom, which I feel like could have been revealed in her introduction without giving anything away anything in the plot. By excluding this information it just left another strange plot point to worry over rather than allowing readers to focus on the two main characters.

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However I will say that once I made it through the first 20 chapters, the pacing definitely improved and I was much more invested in the characters! The slow buildup of the mystery and also the interactions between the two leads were very well written, and the writing style itself is very poetic. As both main characters get a share of the POV, they both have very poignant lines both spoken and also in their thoughts.

Despite the beautiful writing style though, I was surprised to find that I didn't cry or experience as much heart pain as I expected to, which I think comes down to how perfect the two main characters are despite their traumatic pasts. They have a very fairytale like romance with no arguments, no miscommunication, and pure unconditional love. Their relationship has no blockers other than avoiding being outed / general societal h*mophobia, but the two of them engage in so much PDA that it's basically rendered a non-issue. They're both so touchy with each other 24/7 that I was honestly shocked they weren't being caught.

Despite the issues I had with this novel, they're honestly pretty minor considering how good the payoff felt for sticking through at least to chapter 50, so I would still recommend as long as you're willing to pull through and read past the slow start! <<less

The story is beautiful, the character dynamics are incredibly well written, and the translation is excellent. 10/10

i don’t normally write reviews, this is my first time actually, but upon seeing how the number of reviews this currently has, I decided to give it a go not only to say how beautiful this novel is, but to also encourage other people to give it a chance.

everything about this novel—the characters and the storyline—were so naturally and beautifully crafted. I just loved how everything unfolded so naturally, especially the relationship between the main characters. The author did such a great job. It was a beautiful experience being part... more>> of their world. With this, I have to commend the translator as well! It was so well-translated and easy to follow.

i was excited to start this when I found out that it’s from the same author as “an accident in broad daylight” which I really loved, and this did not disappoint. It’s been so long since I've read a novel without stop and this novel gave me the same feeling.

i am not sure if I gave justice on how beautiful this novel is by this review but I hope more people will read it just like it deserves :) <<less

I love love love love it!

These two are the absolute cutest boys I’ve read. They care so much for each other, and in a respectful way too.

I didn’t see the twist coming, and the vague synopsis helped a lot to keep the mystery. I think if I had suspected it maybe I wouldn’t be so touched.

If you’re still hesitant to read it, this is the sign you’ve been waiting for to just DO IT!