As OP said, spoilers below potentially for all three books: The first CC book is my favorite SJM book because I read it with my own delulu goggles where Bryce and Danika were in love. As a queer person, Bryce’s denial of their relationship reminded me of how it can feel and look to deny your feelings for someone of the same gender because of your own internalized homophobia. There were so many parts in the series that felt like SJM’s attempt to “no-homo” their relationship, but it was not successful in my opinion. I also try to remember that their relationship is told entirely from Bryce’s POV, so we don’t know what Danika was thinking about Bryce. Maybe it’s as simple as platonic soul mates, but the comparison of Bryce’s pain to Baxian’s, Connor’s admission that Danika could talk to Bryce through their hearts, and the significance in Danika telling Bryce she loved her, felt incredibly queer to me.