In addition to spending time with her best friend, Lazarus “Laz” Ramos, Birdie is secretly meeting with Booker Stratton, a boy her parents wouldn't approve of.

The plot takes a turn when Birdie's enigmatic Aunt Carlene, who has struggled with addiction and spent significant time in rehab, moves into the apartment, introducing heightened tension within the family.

[3] Booklist's Enishia Davenport wrote, "Colbert’s latest novel brilliantly delves into first loves, forbidden romance, rebellion, and family expectations [...] Heavier topics like addiction, trauma, and the ills of juvenile justice system for teens of color are also explored in a refreshingly nuanced way that is handled with intelligence and care.

[4] Publishers Weekly conceded that the novel had "occasionally predictable plotting" but agreed with other reviewers regarding the novel's "unique cast of well-developed characters", as well as Colbert's skill "navigating responsibility, grief, racial profiling, and addiction".

[2] Breanna J. McDaniel, writing for Shelf Awareness, praised the novel's "superb pacing and full-bodied development of queer and ethnically diverse central and supporting characters".