thought it was fine. It also felt like we were building to Karina telling her parents about her relationship with Ace in the end but that conversation never happened which was kind of disappointing. I definitely recommend this to fans of to all the boys I’ve loved before and the upside of falling so if you liked those, I’d check this book out. Or if you liked this book and haven’t read those then I’d recommend checking those ones out. I’m excited to read more from Tashie Bhuiyan in the future.30:T66c,“If you held me up to a candle, my silhouette would be covered in your name.”

Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow.

In the simplest of words, Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan is one of the best YA contemporaries I have EVER read. It’s been a while since a YA contemporary has made me feel this insane. Jesus Christ, I finished the book 30 seconds ago and I already want to pick it back up!

This is everything you could want from a romance. Fake dating? Check. Bad boy, good girl? Check. Tutoring? Check. Pining, with the long-awaited for moment when the main character realizes they’re painstakingly in love with their love interest? Check. It was incredible. Karina and Ace stole my heart from the first page, and didn’t surrender it until the very last. The silent tension, the witty banter, the soft encouragements and love between these two characters was almost palpable. It made me truly believe I was reading the author’s very own, real life story.

The writing is so beautiful it nearly brought me to tears on multiple occasions. Poems were weaved perfectly throughout the story, and I’m not sure how else to describe the experience except that it felt like I was reading classical music that had been translated into words. Does that make sense?

Tashie Bhuiyan’s debut romance has it all, and if you haven’t read it, you’re missing out. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone. Seriously, it should probably be added to most English classroom curriculums.

Counting Down with You - Likewise Book Reviews

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