What an absolute joy. The female friendships in this story are fantastic -- women who support each other and who prioritize friendships over romantic relationships. These are women who have been friends for years, and it shows. I loved the frank discussion of sexual pleasure, and the stubborness of all these women in pursuing good sex, and not settling for less. I loved the depiction of communication between partners, of the characters resolving conflicts in friendships and romances like adults. The emotional maturity of these characters is so refreshing! I was so so relieved that even the past love interest of the protagonist's boyfriend was never set up as a villain or an antagonist, and that from her introduction she was always presented as complex and genuine and good. And how she joined the friend group!! I loved the fact that there was a chubby woman as a central character, and that she was given her own fantastic romance arc (from a lackluster r/s with a guy only using her for sex to a r/s with an older woman who values her deeply as a person -- sapphic love stays winning). And finally, I love that these women never allowed men to drive them apart. This was so lovely to experience!
The Missing O