scijessreads

This was rivals to lovers in some of the best ways. Where the rivals had history, and that history (filled with assumptions on both sides) was used as a starting point for their present interactions where neither of them trusted the other, until that one moment when they each realized that they might actually have more common ground than they thought.

Even still, they had to learn how to communicate better, to not fall back into old habits. Noah and Sage were both prickly in their own ways, and also both incredibly lonely and used to having to do everything for themselves. Seeing them work together, both at work and outside of it, was joy. They each had a complicated family life that bled into their individual work ethics, and their individual issues with asking for help and speaking up for what they needed from others.

I loved that both Noah and Sage realized that they needed to communicate better, and that they wanted to learn how to do so for each other. Seeing them navigate their new relationship while also both wanting to succeed in their shared field was part of the narrative in this story that framed so much of their past issues and current progress. They wanted success for themselves, but also, eventually, for each other.