Heated Rivalry

Top tier. This adaptation wrecked me in all of the best ways possible. The Cottage episode specifically sent me in a spiral in which I will never recover. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are both INSANELY talented angels. The direction. The scene parallels. The camera work. The minuscule details I've uncovered during my billionth rewatch. The song choices. Hudson's micro-expressive eye acting. Ughhhhhhh. WRECKED. I'll never be the same.

10/10 - no notes. The acting, the story, the yearning, the desire, the guilt, the roller coaster of emotions; it's everything people go through growing up in their 20s and seeing it showcased in such a beautiful way is pure perfection. There aren't many shows out there that can draw such an emotional response out of its viewers so this is special.

My gosh, where do I begin? Only two episodes have been released so far but this is one of the most faithful adaptions I've ever watched. It gives such a unique feel to the story while always staying true to its source material. Rachel Reid wrote an absolutely brilliant book and everyone apart of this project turned it into something visually stunning. Hudson and Connor are nothing short of incredible. They bring Shane and Ilya to life in a way that's almost indescribable but I would spend hours trying. I'm completely blown away from the first two episodes that I don't even need to watch the rest to know what kind of show is being brought to the table. God knows I will be watching and rewatching but nonetheless it's an incredible piece of media. You can tell everyone who's worked on this on screen and behind the scenes wanted to tell a story about love but also wanted to spread the love that goes beyond what we see on the screen. Perfect adaptions are few and far between these days but this one struck gold and I'm willing to bet on that.

This is shaping up to be the most faithful book to screen adaptations I've ever seen. Not only do the actors embody the characters perfectly, but they also clearly convey the characters internal monologues despite there being no voice over narration. The cinematography is on another level. The moodiness of the lighting and camera angles, the editing choices from quick jump cuts to long uncut scenes, and the integration of on-screen text messages- it all works together to craft a visually stunning narrative.

Book fans will also be incredibly happy with the adaptation, as it sticks so closely to the source material. The additions that have been made so far in the first couple of episodes have all been incredibly intentional and have served to expand or highlight certain aspects (such as conversations about Shane's ethnicity and cultural identity) which only add more depth to the characters and the overall story.

For the longest time, never had I seen a show wherein the two leads are oozing with god-tier chemistry. WE NEED 5 MORE SEASONS, 2 MOVIES, AND A HOLIDAY SPECIAL MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!! I'm serious when I said that Ilya and Shane has consumed every thought in my daily life. I AM OBSESSED AND I HOPE THERE'S MORE TO COME!!!