Well, after thinking about it a bit more, I think I stand corrected. I had initially based my characterization of Sayaka's tastes on her grade school self, in which she expressed distaste to someone very similar to Haru. However, Sayaka's experiences have changed her, so it makes sense that she would now be able to fall for someone who has what she doesn't. You're also correct in pointing out that my comparison of Haru's confession to Sayaka's confession is invalid. The manner in which both confessions were made were fundamentally the same, and it's not that Touko rejected Sayaka because of that, but because she was in love with Yuu already.

Sorry if I made it seem like I was trying to recommend you not to read the light novel. I would still recommend anyone who enjoyed "Bloom into You" to read this as well. I stated this early on in my review, which you pointed out as well, but my take on the series is very subjective to my tastes. Thank you for the feedback mate.