I liked Sophia more than I liked Emma, first, because I related to her a lot more. I should have been able to relate to her subplot of not being out to her parents, having gone through exactly the same thing, but it didn’t get enough attention and development. Everything is about her: her feelings, her ideas, what she wants to do. She’s melodramatic and her actions are selfish and juvenile.

Emma isn’t just a diehard romantic she’s so preoccupied with love that it’s practically her only personality trait. Maybe I’m just too old and cynical for teenage love stories. But I have to be honest and say that I was hoping for more: more maturity, more complexity, more depth.

The world needs more lighthearted gay romance. It was fun and light and entertaining, and I think the Emmas of the world will truly enjoy it, and that’s great. I don’t hate all romance, but it does take a lot more for a fictional romance to impress me, and this one didn’t quite hit the mark. And then you have your Sophias, who roll their eyes at rom-coms and take a more jaded approach to the whole concept of love and relationships.

You have your Emmas, your diehard romantics who believe in happily ever after and have fallen head-over-heels in love with love. When it comes to romance, there are two types of people. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think i love you by auriane desombre