You failed to acknowledge that Rinoa isn’t just tagging along with Squall because she’s stalking him, but because her base in Timber was destroyed, she was pursued by the Galbadian army and according to her contract Squall and co. had to protect her.
She also isn’t trying to free Timber just to get her back at her dad, but because she grew up there when she was little (she clearly says this in one scene when she comments on how she used to watch the trains when she was little). Besides at that time of the game she still has feelings for Seifer. It’s not until the very end of Disc 1 that the romance truly kicks in, and then again it does so very gradually, never stealing the spotlight in Disc 2.
Disc 3 kicks in with Rinoa’s coma, but after that it focuses on Esthar and Laguna’s backstory until the space sequence, which is where the Rinoa subplot pretty much ends.

There are other flaws in this article, such as failing to acknowledge all the foreshadowing the orphanage reveal gets (though they’re easy to miss on your first playthrough, but they’re painfully obvious if you replay the game) and largely dismissing the importance of Squall and Laguna’s relationship besides saying “By the way Laguna is his dad”.

FFVIII is far from a “largely flawed” game, and in fact I consider it one of the finest entries in the series, with one of the most relatable plots, despite its relative simplicity.