"I REALIZE THIS FITS INTO THE WAY I'VE ALWAYS SEEN MYSELF, WHICH IS: ART, ATTEMPTED, THOUGH OFTEN SPOILED BY THE DEMANDS OF ANOTHER'S TASTES"

     Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline's radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific circumstances, Mars is propelled to learn all he can about his once-inseparable sister who'd grown tragically distant. 

Mars's genderfluidity means he's often excluded from the traditions -- and expectations -- of his politically-connected family. This includes attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister poured so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place. 

What Mars finds is a bucolic fairytale not meant for him. Folksy charm and sun-drenched festivities camouflage old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic preparatory rigor. Mars seeks out his sister's old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying -- and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death. 

But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars’s memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can't find it soon, it will eat him alive.

Hi I’m back with another book that scarred the living shit out of me!! Jesus this book, where do I even begin with this review. If anything I should be surprised I even remember what happened considering I read this in freaking January but I do remember being extremely grossed out and hella confused at what I was reading which honestly should not be a surprise anymore at this point because a good book always confuses the living shit out of me! I have acquired my peach slices so I will now shut up and actually start this already also overdue ass review so grab some bubble tea and let’s get started! 

After his twin sister Caroline died under horrific circumstances, Mars decides to attend his sister’s prestigious summer academy in her place so that he can attempt learn more about her. What he finds there is a fairytale that’s not meant for him. The charm and festivities hide the old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic conservative environment that forces Mars to feel like he’s constantly in the spotlight. Desperate, he seek out Caroline’s old friend group, dubbed the Honeys for the beehives they maintain in the woods. The Honeys have a secret, and the longer that Mars stays at the academy, the more certain he is that this place and everyone here are involved in her death and the more desperate he becomes at uncovering the truth. 

This book fully yeeted my expectations out the window and I’m not sure if I should be impressed or grossed out at this point. The mystery was pretty intriguing and I remember being so invested in trying to figure out what the actual heck was going on that I felt like I missed the most obvious hints towards the big plot twists since when I recommended this book to a couple people, they were able to guess the huge plot twist in like 5 seconds. Nevertheless I was properly horrified with the plot twist and can say that La Sala did an amazing job and building up the plot while still keeping up the air of suspense as the story progressed until the dark truth was revealed. 

Speaking of surprises, oh my god the romance? The romance. I mf’ing love the romance. It was a little unexpected (but not really because I swear I have the nose of a bloodhound when it comes to ships in a book) and it was SO CUTE. I literally love them and I want more please. On a more serious note, this book did a fantastic job at weaving in more heavy topics within the story and I loved seeing Mars’ character growth throughout the novel as well, battling his internal struggles as well as the backlash they receive for being genderfluid. The internalized toxic conservatism that was bluntly symbolized in the oh so very prestige summer camp was really interesting to see especially with Mars being the polar opposite of everything they stood for which resulted in a riveting dynamic that I thought was pretty intruiging to see as the story progressed. 

This book was one of the creepiest and most confusing books I’ve read this year and I loved it. The atmosphere was instantly set and the eeriness only continued to escalate as the book progressed. There were plot twists upon plot twists which only got better as the book went on and I’m pretty sure I threw my kindle a couple times out of shock. The characters were so well developed, especially Mars, and the setting of the summer academy Aspen completely juxtaposed Mars’ character perfectly and that made it all the more captivating to read. The story itself is incredible and I genuinely could not put this book down. As a side note though, I don’t think I can ever look at honey the same way again.