i wanted to enjoy this more than i did, unfortunately. these books are a sort of guilty pleasure for me, even though i hate that phrase because i don't think people should feel guilty about things they enjoy, but i think i use it for these often because, despite my better judgment, i like this whole series/universe a lot. i think i like them for different reasons then most though, which is slowly making me enjoy them less.

i'm not super into the romances in this universe. i enjoyed lily and lo a lot but it was because of the strong sister relationships and platonic friendships that spurned up around them, with each new romance added, i tend to enjoy it a little less. they become predictable and a little boring. i don't really care about the sex, or the frank (often awkward, to be honest) way that those scenes are described. the reasons i love this series (and the one before it) are the familial relationships. i was really excited to get into jane's head and to see more of the cobalts as a unit. or to see more of jane's relationship with rose or even audrey! jane's chattering way of talking reminded me of lily and made me smile so much! i wanted to see more of her relationship with her aunts! more of her with sulli and luna! more of her with her brothers! it feels like in comparison, we barely got any of that. the little that we did filled me with joy, but then it went to more secret bodyguard romance stuff with just awkward sex scene after another and like, fine, but how many do we need? make em count and then give me something more interesting. and it keeps hinting at even more to come (the luna scene annoyed me a lot , i don't get why these authors are so obsessed with age gap relationships, especially since it's (almost) always a younger girl in a het romance. and i'm not looking forward to a retread of moffy and jane's same basic deal with but sulli and akara. can any of these people fall in love with someone else? i'd almost rather an entire book dedicated to kinney and her teenage exploits with a focus on the girl squad. actually, gosh i want that.)

i have never found these books to be much more than surface level okay writing but with characters that i grew to care a lot about, but i'm slowly losing steam and i really wish i weren't, because do really enjoy a lot of these characters and the potential is there. i just wish they'd surprise me. ( )

This is the fourth book in the like us series and it's the first of two books about Jane and Thatcher.
Not gonna lie i was really scared to read this book because the other three books in this spinoff series weren't really that great in my opinion but i'm happy to announce they didn't disappoint! The whole relationship was built on respect and their connection was beautiful.
Thatcher always wanted to make sure Jane felt comfortable, safe and respected and i truly adored some scenes where they were discussing topics like jane's weight or their past, or thatcher's dead brother.
It was a carousel of emotions. Thatcher didn't fight Jane's battles, he let her deal with her grandmother. He let her choose what she wanted and what she felt comfortable with and i appreciated that A LOT.
When Jane and Thatcher made that oath it reminded me so much of Rose and the oath she made with her sisters and Willow. I had the biggest smile on my face.
This book felt shorter than the others but maybe it just was me actually enjoying it and fly through it and i'm super excited to see where their story goes next.

Other characters and relationships: we are starting to see Sulli going on dates and Akara is getting jealous and I'M LOVING IT.
I am sad Sulli, Jane and Luna didn't have a lot of scenes but maybe in the second book we'll have more of their friendship.
LUNA AND DONNELLY. I knew their love story's trope was going to be friends with benefits but i didn't imagine they would've started it so soon I LEGIT SCREAMED WHEN WE SAW HIM IN BED WITH LUNA HOLY CRAP GIVE ME THEIR BOOK NOWWWWWWWW
I loved Akara, Banks and Thatcher's friendship and i hope we'll have it in book 2 as well.
I kinda appreciated Farrow and Maximoff more in this book proably because they weren't the main couple but i'm glad they supported Jane and Thatcher's relationship and even if they don't like Thatcher and viceversa they only wanted Jane's happiness. This is what i want to see.
I LOVED the scene between Rose, Lily, Daisy and Jane. I love how supportive Rose is of Jane, how she wants her to find her passion and not follow her steps or her father's. And i truly love that Rose and Connor let their children fight their own battles but will always be there for them if they need it.
THE COBALT SCENE HAD ME IN TEARS. I love this family with all my heart.
Eliot is one of my favorite characters and the scene where they said he needed help MADE ME SO SCARED. I am sure he's dealing with a lot - mentally speaking - and it's hitting close to home.
BECKETT LET DONNELLY GO. I know it's for Donnelly's mental health but it made me so sad :(
Oscar and Farrow truly love him and i am sure it was the best decision to tell Beckett about Donnelly's past but i just want those two to be buddy-guards again!
DONNELLY'S FATHER will probably be the "antagonist" in Lunnelly's book i'm almost sure of it. That call was so suspicious. WHAT DO YOU WANT DICKHEAD STAY AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN.
I'm glad Jane knows about Beckett and they're all working together to help him.
PS: Can Kinney have a girlfriend who won't move away? POOR BABY GIRL.
PPS: I HATE SAMANTHA CALLOWAY WITH EVERYTHING IN ME CAN SHE ROT IN HELL WE'RE TIRED OF HER OLD ASS.
PPPS: GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK. NOW.
( )