A thin book that somehow hit harder than books three times its size. No wonder this Turkish classic has become such a bestseller. The melancholic, almost depressive atmosphere is incredibly strong from beginning to end. Reading this was painful, but the most heartbreaking part was when Raif finally found the courage to pour out everything he had been feeling... only for it to be too late. It absolutely crushed me. Sabahattin Ali does such an amazing job capturing the feeling of a love that never got the chance to fully happen. There were so many moments when I wanted to shake Raif and yell at him because of the way he thinks, but at the same time, I could relate to him way more than I'd like to admit. The overthinking, the endless what-ifs, the fear of taking action... it all felt painfully familiar. I have a feeling this book is going to leave a huge impact on me for a long time. If there's one thing I'll keep reminding myself after reading it, it's that there really is no such thing as a second chance. I'll definitely be rereading this one💔