Yes! Exactly! CMBYN was this stunning portrayal of adolescence, of what it's like to be on that cusp where you're still figuring out yourself, and the world, and everything is so, so heightened and intense. I thought it was just amazing how deep, deep, deep it went into Elio's interior life and the way he experienced things. And then this sequel sort of undoes some of the things that were most beautiful, and most delicately handled, in the first book. Ugh. :-( There is definitely a case for leaving well enough alone, and I think this was one of those times.

BUT I also feel bad about talking down this book, so please don't take mine as the definitive word on it! I do know of a couple people who went in as CMBYN fans, read Find Me, and came out seeming to love Find Me just as much. So even though most of the reviews have been bad, it's certainly not unanimous. (...But I'll be biased and say, yes, if you love CMBYN, you can probably be happy just sticking with that and not reading the sequel!)