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Having read the light novel up to volume 12, one conclusive statement that can be made is that the novel does a an excellent job when it stays true to its intended theme. This is a story about two ex-lovers being put into an abrupt relationship as step-sibling, and them, through daily interactions, exploring their past, retracing every wrong moves and trying to rekindle their past love.
Chapter 1 to 6 is awsome. 7 introduces the student council( still good), 8 is objectively bad, 9 and 10 covers very important progressions, 11 is a mystery spinoffs, 12 gives the spotlight to the childhood pair. Overall, ... a 7( would give it like 7.6 if the option existed, It's definitely better than a 7 but giving it a 8 would be too much.

Here's what i like about this

(spoilers alert)













-The main characters

Mizuto, at the start of the series, seemed the typical cool guy that seems nonchalant about romance and mostly rational. Most of the time, these kind of mcs can feel bland due to them lacking emotional depth. But the execution of mizuto is really well done. Throughout the stroy, Mizuto always keeps his cool side, but he always make an effort to break out of his shell just for yume. And by volume 12, his character development is very very noticable.

Yume is easily one of my favorite fmcs in the romance game. She doesnt fall under any of the tsundere or kuudere kinda stereotypes. She is ,like most highschool girl, chaotic. And her character gets better with every voulme. She's shy when she needs to be, and she's bold when the time is right. She always have problems with the MC but always manage to sort it out. Vol 4 to 6 were amazing at showcasing this couple.

-The climax

They are simply amazing. The way the plot naturally builds up to reach the climax and just how good they are really make the novel worth continuing.

-The story-telling and pacing

The novel jumps around the character's pov and let the readers explore their thoughts. This significantly enhances immersion and explains why a certain character would do something. The author absolutely nails this feature in climaxes, rapidly changing the povs letting us experience the scenes from both perspective.

(MAJOR SPOLIER)

[spoiler]hidden text[/spoiler]It took 9 volumes for them to finally get back together but most of these volumes greatly contributed to their relationship, and in fact it would be more unrealistic for them to get back together earlier in the series.[spoiler]hidden text[/spoiler]
Overall, the pacing is very good only with the exception of the student council arc.

Some other things to consider. These are not clears flaws or dislikes (some are) but depending on the reader, reading experience may vary.

-Higashira

Let me clarify. i dont dislike her but she is very confusing as a character as her role in the story is very unclear. She's got too much screen time and character depth to be passed off as a comedy relief or fanservice character, but she didn't put up much of a fight to be called a love rival. Her chemistry and interactions with mizuto are very enjoyable, and this kind of dynamics would have worked way better if the author didnt make higashira a love interest.

-The student council

I know that this arc was meant to serve a plot point for yume where she would become more confident and learn from everyone around to further develop her relationship with mizuto. But with the introduction of many new characters and their relationships, it just feels excessive. i don't find the couples in this arc interesting at all, and overall the novel would have been far better without this arc.

-Adult scenes and language

I don't personally mind it but the series doesn't really hold back when it comes to topics of sexual interactions between characters. I find this part realistic but may feel explicit for some readers.

-The side couple

Kawanami and Minami were mostly there just to support the main couple in the earlier volumes. They themselves didn't get significant romantic progression until later in the series. But as characters, they both are very well-written and, even without romantic progression, they each developed their character along with the main couple. Overall, they make the story more enjoyable. The only very specific problem would be for some readers to prefer the side couple over the main couple and wanting progression.

The art

-Yes, this is nitpicking. Artworks are not really important for light novels, but if the art is not consistent or up to standard, it can break immersion because in a normal book, we let our imagination do the work of visualizing the character. But when the author does it for you, the characters' appearances become universal. So it leaves you a bit disappointed when the art is not good. The cover arts of this novel are great but the inserted art between pages don't get the same treatment. They are inconsistent and sometimes just look bad. But this is by no means a major issue and doesn't effect the story at all. So this part can be ignored.


Overall, the series is worth reading if you can only focus on the good part. If you can ignore some parts of this, the series easily becomes a 100% recommended because the romance part of this feels very realistic and mature. So a 7 would be reasonable for this series.