It’s been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college—only, their relationship hasn’t exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be.

And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It’s time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

We have finally arrived at the conclusion of this messy, angsty teen love triangle, and for most of this installment, my reaction was basically, “Wait…what?!” This final book was so jarring and took me on such an emotional roller coaster. I felt like I had emotional whiplash for most of it. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, something else happened that made me question everything.

Again, there is some language but no spice. There is also a cheating trope in this book, which I was definitely not a fan of.

I listened to the audiobook again, and this was another short listen at around six hours. The chapters are short, the pacing is easy to follow, and you could easily finish this book in one day. We get two perspectives again, but this time they are Belly and Conrad. I enjoyed both narrators, although I really wanted more of Conrad’s POV. I felt like we didn’t get nearly enough from him, and the majority of the story was still told from Belly’s POV. Like the previous books, we also get past and present timelines that fill in some of what happened between books two and three.

This is another book that takes place during the summer, but once again, it didn’t really feel like summertime to me. I didn’t get many of the beach vibes, summer activities, or carefree seasonal atmosphere that I loved in the first book. Of all three books, the first one definitely had the best summer vibes. Still, all three are short, easy reads that would be perfect beach reads.

All of our main characters, Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah, are now in college. I had hoped that meant we would see more maturity from them, but unfortunately, we really don’t. It still reads like a bad teen soap opera, just with slightly older characters. There were so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and honestly, I didn’t really like most of them.

Also, where did my sweet Jeremiah go?!

I do not like how his character evolved in this book at all. He was my favorite until he wasn’t. I had been Team Jeremiah, so watching his character change was incredibly disappointing. Some of his choices felt so different from the Jeremiah I had grown to like in the previous books that I almost felt like I was reading about a completely different person.

Belly is still annoying, but now she also acts like a doormat when it comes to Jeremiah. There were so many moments when I wanted her to stand up for herself, slow down, and really think about the decisions she was making. Instead, she continues making questionable choices, which I suppose is pretty consistent for Belly at this point.

Surprisingly, the two characters I haven’t liked very much throughout the previous books became much more likable and tolerable in this one: Conrad and Taylor.

Conrad is still moody and emotional, but getting his POV helped me understand him so much better. I finally had more insight into why he acts the way he does, and I was able to empathize with him more in this installment. I still wish we had gotten more chapters from his perspective because they added another layer to his character that I felt was missing from the first two books.

Taylor also showed some nice growth. I loved seeing that she and Belly were still friends during their college years, especially because I questioned their friendship so much in the previous book. Taylor genuinely loves Belly and supports her, even when Belly is making dumb decisions. Their friendship felt stronger and more meaningful to me this time around, and I appreciated Taylor much more because of it.

Overall, I didn’t really like how everything played out, and I especially didn’t like the direction the author took with some of the characters. However, I am happy that Belly is happy by the end. She finally chooses the right guy for her, and I’m glad she gets her happily ever after.

It was quite the ride getting there, though, and I’m still not entirely sure it was worth it.

Nevertheless, this was an entertaining series. Somehow, it kept me hooked through all three books, even though I found large portions of the story boring and most of the characters incessantly annoying. I complained about them, rolled my eyes at them, questioned their decisions, and yet I kept listening because I needed to know how this ridiculous love triangle was going to end. So I have to give the series credit for that.

Personally, I think there are better YA romances out there, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this series. However, if you’re curious and want to see what all the hype is about, it’s not a bad series to try. The books are short, easy to get through, and entertaining enough to keep you wondering what these characters are going to do next.

I’ve also watched the first season of the TV series on Amazon Prime, and I thought it was okay as well. It’s not the best teen drama I’ve watched, and there were times when I struggled to get through it. However, I also recognize that I’m an older adult viewing the story through a completely different lens. I’m definitely not the target demographic.

I can see how this entire series would resonate much more with teenagers, especially young girls. Underneath all the boy drama, questionable decisions, and messy relationships, there is a coming-of-age story about growing up, falling in love, experiencing heartbreak, navigating friendships, and figuring out who you are and what you want. There are some good messages mixed in with all the drama.

Ultimately, the entire book series and the first season of the TV adaptation were three stars for me. Everything was pretty mediocre, but somehow still engaging enough to keep me coming back. This series clearly wasn’t for me, but I would like to try another series by this author and see if I connect with it more. I’m not done with her books yet. This particular series just wasn’t my cup of tea.