As someone who has only started to play this game (meaning the long gap between episodes 8 and 9 wasn't a factor for me), I have enjoyed episode 9 quite a bit. Although I don't know how much of that is due to the simple fact that my expectations were never very high, when it comes to games like this one, as long as they entertain me for a while I'm fine with it.
I have only played the Maya/Josy path since it's the only path that I'm interested in playing, and I really don't have any complaint regarding how that route was handled. I have replayed their different scenes many times, and I keep enjoying them as much as the first time. Moments like teasing Josy over the conversation you have with her dad are just hilarious, and seeing how happy they are once you tell them you're committing to the relationship is just
Fun fact, I tried to play the Sage one out of curiosity, but once I reached episode 5 and I saw the reactions of Josy and Maya during the prep party if you don't pick them, I just didn't find in me to continue it. Now that I saw how bad things are for them if you're not in their route, I'm going to stick with them even harder XD
And an aspect of the game I'm also enjoying a lot is the music. I have never expected a game like this one to have such a good soundtrack, but here we are. Although it was very fun to hear a song that plays in the game in some random Youtube ad XD
And I will also say that I like the party planner minigame. It's not the best thing ever, but it's a fun small puzzle to solve.
That said, as much as I can't complain regarding how long it takes for episode 10 to arrive since I'm playing it for free, I really can't wait for it to see how the story continues.