When Remi is arrested for underground fighting and then expelled from school he is stunned to find the whole other life his mother has hid from him - one with wealth and a loving grandfather who very much wants to know him. Life only seems to be going up. Especially when he meets his student advisor, Linc.

Linc only wants to get through school and get out of the town. Away from his overbearing perfectionist parents and his gang of bullies. But all that changes when he meets Remi. Remi who is brave and bold and brutal to anyone who threatens him - parents included.

I loved this book. Charli Meadows is a new favourite. I loved Cali Boy and I adored this. I can't wait for more books! Remi and Linc were adorable. I loved them so much. This is a low angst, bad boy/nerd romance with humour and a pinch of danger. Their chemistry was off the charts. They were funny and sweet and totally swoonworthy.

As far as the warnings go, I was expecting this to be a lot darker than it was. I honestly didn't find it too bad. There's a couple of underground fights, one scene where the boys get jumped by a couple of men - one of which has a knife - and a scene with a gun. The violence was pretty tame really. My biggest issue was the text messages. The overwhelming panic that developed in Remi was ridiculous.

I know where you went.
And I know you have money.

Why is that so terrifying? He doesn't even know who it is? I feel that it would've been a stronger book for either toning down the panic and letting it slowly develop - or revealing who the messages were actually from. Because the panic would've made a ton more sense if he knew who it was. It was his dad. And if it was revealed I could've got behind it. His relationship with his dad was clearly volatile for a lot of years and I could see it becoming a problem if he found out there's money. But it wasn't revealed and so it just seemed disproportionate to the situation.

The rest of the book though was incredible. I loved that Remi was so protective of Linc - even if that meant telling off his parents. The dinner scene at the end where Linc comes out was hysterical. Remi was a total badass and I loved how the parents were constantly having to adjust.

As far as Remi's family - I would've liked to know more about his mother and the grandfather. There's not really many conversations between them - but I feel like it would've rounded out the book a little more.

Overall, it's probably not quite perfect but it was perfect for me. Right time, right book - lots of feel good moments and a very swoonworthy couple I adored. 5 stars. ( )