I found Julian/Hilary more convincing than you did

That seems to be generally the case, and really, I can't explain why they just didn't click for me! (Part of the problem is that this is one of those books I blanked on completely as soon as I set it down, so literally, I don't remember what put me off.) I suspect Julian's immaturity rankled because, rather than in spite of, the fact he's basically my age...