I am a T.J. Klune fan. I've read almost every novel, so when I say I think this one might be the best so far, you know I at least have reason to make that statement.

This one's the best so far. This story is set in 2016 mostly. And Klune didn't shy away from what that meant to someone like Cory, living in, of all places, Arizona. I loved every part of that part. It gave the book its title. I want that one little jab to be true. That's part of it.

Klune often invents very....verbose...characters. Cory/Kori is not, usually, so I empathize more with him and her. I fell hard for this character in the Bear, Otter & the Kid series, and in this whole series, so I was primed to love this. It worked. That's a big part of it.

But above all, and throughout Klune's stories, found family is core to survival, the foundation upon which everything rests. Find your people, fight the good fight even if it makes no sense sometimes, and gain the strength to be brave. Cory's brave already. But love? That's a whole other level - and of course it can't be simple attraction, can it? Of course not!

You don't have to read the previous books, although I don't know why you'd skip any. These characters are unique, but each fights in the trenches of marginalization - mental illness, gender identity, sexual identity, abandonment, poverty, oppression, and so on - while figuring out how to survive and find happiness. I've found them both inspiring and heart-wrenching while - and this is what makes me such a fan - also making me bust out laughing, too. I don't want the series to be done, but you know what? This is a genuinely perfect finale. Very highly recommended. Go! Read! ( )

I will forever love these characters and I'm a little broken about this being the last book in the series.

I absolutely adore Klune's humor and the incredibly over the top shenanigans the characters get up to.

The writing is good, for the most part, but Klune does have a tendency to start monologueing when he wants to get his point across. They're good points and I really loved the message this book had, I just think the delivery could have been improved upon, a little.

This was such a warm and fuzzy ending to the series, though, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. (Well, maybe a fifth book, but I get that there's a time and a place for everything.) ( )

4.5 ( )

I think this was my favorite book in the series. So much delicious UST! ( )