I have never read a book from Ylva Publishing, or even really heard of them, so I wondered what this novel would be like. And then when I saw in the beginning that it was in present tense I was a little worried. But I shouldn't have been because once I got into the flow of the story I liked the book.

It's mainly the story of Mia and Claire, two college students, although there are also a ton of other characters who are pretty major to the story as well. And in that way it's also a story about friendship I think. There's Nina, Claire's friend, and Cam, Claire's brother. There's Robbie and Pete who are Mia's friends. And because both the young women live with their parents we get to see those unique characters of both their families as well.

I will say that the novel wasn't a slow burn, but that's because the slow burn left this plot in the dust.

As I implied before the characters and the relationships in the book are quite unique and they are some of the things about the book I liked the most.

If there was an objective checklist for books, every box would have been checked for this one. And I never felt the need to stop reading, or read something else. The book kept my attention, but through the book it just lacked an extra oomph. And if anyone is using this review to try and figure out if they want to read it, I understand that my comment is supremely vague and not really helpful. But, if pressed I couldn't tell you anything specific that was "wrong" with the book, just that compared to a lot of the books that I've read there was just an extra oomph that was missing.

I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Ylva Publishing. ( )

This is one of the best books I have read. There are so many characters in it and every last one of them is well written and just really likeable. The way 'A story of Now' is written made me feel as if I was experiencing everything that happend myself instead of reading about it.

While it is a really cute story it stays realistic. Not everything in life is love, peace and harmony.

I want to add some triggers: There is slight talk about body images and a lot of alcohol; just a heads up.

I got it as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you. ( )

--I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review--

This is a wonderfully written story about a 19 year old girl named Clare, that falls for a girl for the first time. The story is written from the point of Clare, who comes from a very structured family with a very controlling mother (who, of course, drives her nuts). While her mother is pushing her to become a lawyer or to pick some other well-off professional field, Clare is still debating what she actually wants to do with her future. While doing so, she is going to university part time and working nights at a bar. Then, one night at work, she meets Robbie and Mia for the first time.

While Clare doesn't really pay them too much attention, her coworker/friend (Nina) becomes friends with Robbie. This prompts Robbie and Mia to come back to the bar another night to hang out. This time around Clare actually chats with them a bit, leading to a friendship being born between the four of them. Over time, Mia and Clare find themselves growing closer to one another. Then, one day it dawns on Clare that she might actually have feelings for Mia other than just friendship.

I really loved this book! It wasn't overly sappy or filled with annoying amounts of drama... It felt more real. The characters were well developed and Clare's thoughts & emotions were portrayed well. I became attached to the characters and found myself not wanting to put this book down. Upon finishing the book, I immediately wished the second one was out. I wanted to continue on and see what was going to happen to them next. ( )