Status Updates From Seven Minutes in Candyland

Finally finished y'all. 3 stars. Man, I want to talk about this one, because there are parts of it that I really, really liked, but the haphazard execution is one of the things that really bugged me about this one. It is a romance though, I would even say it has rom-com and coming of age elements, but the execution of those are hit and miss. Review to come.

I think some of the best parts of this book are when it chooses to center Kalvin and Sterling and the things they have going on. It doesn't feel like it tries too hard then. Some moments, even with Dino are fine too, but I can tell when it feels like it's doing too much. Still reading.

I can definitely tell at this point where the humor feels like it's more forced and certain things aren't as great as they started here. *sighs* Still reading. Hopefully I can finish this today. It's looking like a 3-star read so far.

I know Kalvin's about to do something that's an incredibly bad idea, but I really like the chemistry between him and Sterling so far. He's playing matchmaker/relationship doc to help her "rekindle" with her boyfriend (which is bound to go wrong), but their interactions are cute.

This is honestly better than I thought it would be. Why didn't I pick this book up before now? Argh.

I've genuinely laughed at several moments in this book so far, since Kalvin is navigating his Candygram side hustle with giving unexpected relationship advice. His parents are relationship therapists but Kalvin notes that he's learned things from them secondhand. Feels like this could be a solid Black YA rom-com, but too early to say. Still reading.

Finally reading this. I remembered I had an ARC from a librarian rec I saw at my local library. No one I know has read this yet, so reporting for duty. The cover is adorable.

Aww, he gave that girl some Snickers, lol. It is cute how Kalvin and Sterling (the girl) meet again. She learns his secret identity as the Candy guy, not Candyman (I'm glad he clarified, looool.)

This is why I don’t let myself DNF. Not because I think the book is gonna get better. It’s gonna be a boring slog; I can tell. And I don’t want to finish. I don’t see the point.
But if I stopped every time I felt like I didn’t see the point in finishing, I wouldn’t ever finish anything.