Heartfelt and nuanced. An exploration of broken trust, of grief and the power of support.

"The reader spends much of their time essentially in the head of the main character, Trevor; highs and lows come gradually or chaotically as he struggles to grow personally. This is paired in most chapters with a glimpse back at his most treasured memories with Ava, albeit free of Trevor's sense of loss of this time. It gives perspective to the present time, showing their tentative beginnings and building intimacy. The image of these individuals and their relationships slowly build whilst Trevor faces new challenges, surrounded by those close to him. Minute details of the characters and the circumstances they find themselves in are what make this story for me. The plot features little in the way of big, calamitous events and thus has less unusual drama in it and takes more of a backseat to the intricacies of relationships in the story. The way it instead strays from the ordinary, through subtle and personally unique quirks, makes the story more believable and genuinely relatable. Experiences that the characters share with one another are not far from what we might have ourselves, though the unexpected little flourishes are uniquely the author's. Any reactions from the characters measure up against our own, and each has their own way of dealing with what presents itself. At times, Trevor's dramatic responses to even smaller issues were difficult to get used to, since it is hard to rationalise why for every case. I feel that this may be explained by hints to his troubled history before the timelines covered in the book, further made clearer by the way his friends and family seem to understand how to help, without the author spending time delving into specifics about his past. His loved ones show sincere compassion in little ways, with the tension that arises from his occasionally negative responses balancing it out, when his family tries even harder. They know him better than the reader, and that understanding comes across organically. By the end of the story, I feel that Trevor and Ava have shown us their humanity through their mistakes and...sometimes misguided efforts to fix them, along with the rest of the cast whom, without them, the lead characters would have been far worse off. Read this if you're looking for a little introspection, coupled with a journey through a familiar yet distinctly colourful world, with plenty of laughs along the way."