I loved Augustus and William as a pair so. Much. You have one being broody and intellectual, while the other scrappy and passionate. As their romance progresses you see how naturally they develop respect, tender vulnerability, and yearning for each other and it was just so beautiful to read.

The book tackles A LOT. Moss’s ordeal is truly devastating. This on top of themes like racism, trans survival, medical ethics, add on top a romance and prison break. I felt the book tried to juggle so much for a novella length. I just wish it had more space to do everything justice. It didn’t necessarily fail at anything, but I wanted to sit in the weight of these issues more before rushing to the next thing. The romance was so good, the prose was perfect, and I loved the historical accuracy, but the book was just…too short. There were so many big, important themes, and while the story did handle them well, I wanted a full-length novel to really dig into it all. So 4.5 stars for making me love and care about everything discussed, but low-key wish it was a full-length.