Jeff Sexton
Tries Too Hard To Be 'Edgy'. Having read both Mistakes Were Made and Cleat Cute, it seems that the issues that really seem to have begun in Cleat Cute, where I wrote in my review that "this is one of those stories where there are a LOT of valid issues that people may have with the book, but ultimately pretty well all of them are matters of taste and not something truly concretely objectively *wrong*" have gone even further here, and now there are things that while still arguably not *objectively* wrong, there is a fair amount here that gets much closer to that line, at least in some readers' eyes.
Specifically, while none of the following really get up there to a star deduction on their own, there is enough that I'm about to detail that I felt the star deduction was warranted due to the accumulation. First, there is the more than once yet also not *pervasive* bigotries against anything non-queer, including one character getting quite preachy when a server refers to both characters as "Ladies", even though one of the characters is a female but claims "non-binary". Then there is the oral period sex. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I know it is a (minor) spoiler. But it is one that I feel people will want to be aware of when deciding to read or skip this book, so I feel justified mentioning it here. It is also one that many that decry explicit lack of use of condoms during sex *should* decry as even more unsafe than condomless penetrative sex can ever be, yet I've seen no such condemnations as I write this review less than two weeks before publication. To be fair, I also don't track reviewers who explicitly comment about such things in other books, so it is quite possible that *someone* has in fact called this out and I am simply unaware of it. Then there is the degrading talk during sex, but to be fair to Wilsner this *was* specifically done with a discussion of safe words just before this and explicit instruction to use them if the partner was uncomfortable with such speech. Finally, there are the barely-there and almost caricature level supporting characters - indeed, it almost seems as though the aforementioned server was included specifically so the preaching could be "excused". Even relatives of the characters felt like stereotypes at best, rather than fully (or even really partially) fleshed out and understood characters. As I noted previously in this review, none of this (possibly with the exception of the oral period sex) is objectively *wrong*, but it also all adds up to Wilsner just seeming to try to hard, particularly as the sex scenes take up seemingly 20% of the book - and the entire middle section of it. Thus, the star deduction. If you don't like that I deducted a star for this, maybe read the book and write your own review. Feel free to crucify me when you do, should you feel the need.
Beyond these issues though, Wilsner actually manages to create a plausible enough, if in a "queer Hallmarkie" kind of vibe, story that works well enough. Yes, things happen *fast* in actual shown-time, but at the same time, again in a "queer Hallmarkie" kind of mindset... meh, I for one didn't really have a problem there. Particularly given that these two had known each other for decades before the events of this book, again, meh, plausible enough that one day long-guarded truths are exposed and different paths emerge.
And then there is the titular honeymoon. The Caribbean setting was done well enough, though as it largely takes place inside that middle damn-near-erotica section of the book... maybe it could have been done even better, but that is likely a quibble that some will agree with and others will think it was done quite well indeed. For me, it was absolutely enough to show the beauty of the setting, almost in a Couples Retreat (the 2009 Vince Vaughn movie) way. They're there, they spend quite a bit of time in their mostly private hut over the water (as honeymooning couples would do, obviously, even though this couple isn't actually on their honeymoon and hasn't even admitted their feelings to each other at the time they arrive), but they also get out and explore a decent amount as well (which is where the server scene above happens, among other locations around the resort they explore). Like I said, it works well enough, could arguably have been done a touch better, but nothing really to *actually* complain about there.
Overall this was a book that many won't want to read for many perfectly valid reasons, but also many *will* want to read for equally perfectly valid reasons, and as with Cleat Cute in particular, it absolutely is one Your Mileage May Vary on. If what I've described above is close enough to something that interests you and you don't really have any major issues with those things, this is likely a book you should at least try to read and see if you enjoy. If you're more adamantly opposed to any of the things I describe above, you're likely better off skipping this one and sparing yourself the wasted time and the author the potentially far more harsh review than what I hope I've done a relatively balanced job with here. If you do choose to read it though, please leave a review on Hardcover dot app, BookHype dot com, PageBound dot co, or whatever your preferred book review platform may be.
Recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Tries Too Hard To Be 'Edgy'. Having read both Mistakes Were Made and Cleat Cute, it seems that the issues that really seem to have begun in Cleat Cute, where I wrote in my review that "this is one of those stories where there are a LOT of valid issues that people may have with the book, but ultimately pretty well all of them are matters of taste and not something truly concretely objectively *wrong*" have gone even further here, and now there are things that while still arguably not *objectively* wrong, there is a fair amount here that gets much closer to that line, at least in some readers' eyes.
Specifically, while none of the following really get up there to a star deduction on their own, there is enough that I'm about to detail that I felt the star deduction was warranted due to the accumulation. First, there is the more than once yet also not *pervasive* bigotries against anything non-queer, including one character getting quite preachy when a server refers to both characters as "Ladies", even though one of the characters is a female but claims "non-binary". Then there is the oral period sex. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I know it is a (minor) spoiler. But it is one that I feel people will want to be aware of when deciding to read or skip this book, so I feel justified mentioning it here. It is also one that many that decry explicit lack of use of condoms during sex *should* decry as even more unsafe than condomless penetrative sex can ever be, yet I've seen no such condemnations as I write this review less than two weeks before publication. To be fair, I also don't track reviewers who explicitly comment about such things in other books, so it is quite possible that *someone* has in fact called this out and I am simply unaware of it. Then there is the degrading talk during sex, but to be fair to Wilsner this *was* specifically done with a discussion of safe words just before this and explicit instruction to use them if the partner was uncomfortable with such speech. Finally, there are the barely-there and almost caricature level supporting characters - indeed, it almost seems as though the aforementioned server was included specifically so the preaching could be "excused". Even relatives of the characters felt like stereotypes at best, rather than fully (or even really partially) fleshed out and understood characters. As I noted previously in this review, none of this (possibly with the exception of the oral period sex) is objectively *wrong*, but it also all adds up to Wilsner just seeming to try to hard, particularly as the sex scenes take up seemingly 20% of the book - and the entire middle section of it. Thus, the star deduction. If you don't like that I deducted a star for this, maybe read the book and write your own review. Feel free to crucify me when you do, should you feel the need.
Beyond these issues though, Wilsner actually manages to create a plausible enough, if in a "queer Hallmarkie" kind of vibe, story that works well enough. Yes, things happen *fast* in actual shown-time, but at the same time, again in a "queer Hallmarkie" kind of mindset... meh, I for one didn't really have a problem there. Particularly given that these two had known each other for decades before the events of this book, again, meh, plausible enough that one day long-guarded truths are exposed and different paths emerge.
And then there is the titular honeymoon. The Caribbean setting was done well enough, though as it largely takes place inside that middle damn-near-erotica section of the book... maybe it could have been done even better, but that is likely a quibble that some will agree with and others will think it was done quite well indeed. For me, it was absolutely enough to show the beauty of the setting, almost in a Couples Retreat (the 2009 Vince Vaughn movie) way. They're there, they spend quite a bit of time in their mostly private hut over the water (as honeymooning couples would do, obviously, even though this couple isn't actually on their honeymoon and hasn't even admitted their feelings to each other at the time they arrive), but they also get out and explore a decent amount as well (which is where the server scene above happens, among other locations around the resort they explore). Like I said, it works well enough, could arguably have been done a touch better, but nothing really to *actually* complain about there.
Overall this was a book that many won't want to read for many perfectly valid reasons, but also many *will* want to read for equally perfectly valid reasons, and as with Cleat Cute in particular, it absolutely is one Your Mileage May Vary on. If what I've described above is close enough to something that interests you and you don't really have any major issues with those things, this is likely a book you should at least try to read and see if you enjoy. If you're more adamantly opposed to any of the things I describe above, you're likely better off skipping this one and sparing yourself the wasted time and the author the potentially far more harsh review than what I hope I've done a relatively balanced job with here. If you do choose to read it though, please leave a review on Hardcover dot app, BookHype dot com, PageBound dot co, or whatever your preferred book review platform may be.
Recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
