I never let anyone buy me anything but our eyes locked and the angels sang and I instantly knew I could love you.
It's a well known fact, that I like light, fluffy romances with an HEA. This was the opposite of that. This was sad, and showed that dark side of love. That unhealthy side. These two were so insecure, that it destroyed them. Dan never felt that he was "enough" for Natalie. He was jealous of her success, and was driven to be successful himself in order to prove himself worthy. Natalie was always expecting Dan to leave her for someone else. She was suspicious of Dan, always worrying about him cheating on her, that she would compromise her own ideals and needs just to make him happy.
Our relationship was like that merry-go-round -- fast and thrilling but completely dizzying.
I found this all so sad. This was legit and real, and we have seen this sort of thing in real life, but it was still really sad. I thought Strasnick did a great job conveying all those complicated emotions that accompany this type of situation. I felt the desperation, fear, and longing. That combination of conflicting emotions, that make it difficult to stay and leave.
"I do," I said, but the love I felt -- it was tight and constricting like a straightjacket.
I also liked the way the story was told. Natalie's side it told through letters to Dan. Dan's side is told through traditional narration, and other perspectives are sprinkled throughout using emails and text messages. Some of those extra POVs were utilized quite well. I especially thought Dan's sister's POV was very telling and important, because it allowed me to understand that it wasn't all in Natalie's head.
We destroyed each other.
Overall: Sad story chronicling the rise and fall of a teen love.