RobV
Cute, quick read. Kind of disappointed by how easily they overcame their big problem in the end.
Even though I'm European, I followed this year's Democratic primary with great interest and was very impressed by Pete Buttigieg, easily the most visionary and progressive in the race. This book seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about him and his husband Chasten, and get the most detailed behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary campaign they ran.
Chasten did not disappoint. I was struck by how compelling his own story was, even before he met Pete. He writes beautifully and is very good at getting you to empathize with him. His life has not been easy, and the campaign wasn't easy, but he focuses on how the experiences shaped him or what he learned from them, rather than dwell on the negativity. It makes for a narrative that is both an emotional roller coaster yet also uplifting.
His story with Pete takes up about 60% of the book, so readers who don't care as much about Chasten's background still have plenty to get into. Those who were disappointed that Pete's excellent memoir Shortest Way Home was more about his relationship with his city than with his husband should find this a far more satisfying read. Chasten makes it very obvious how much he loves Pete, but also how much Pete loves him in return. They're one of those couples that just fit together perfectly.
While Buttigieg fans and LGBTQ people will no doubt get the most out of this memoir, I can easily recommend this to anyone.
Simply amazing. Much more emotional than the main series. I could not put it down and was both crying and smiling at the end. The despair was so intense, the rekindling relationship so powerful and real. I was right there with them. What a rollercoaster of feelings. Damn.
Fantastic slow burn romance, but the action scenes were a little hard to follow, not to mention unrealistic in the end. Jonah going through all that without dying, then personally delivering the deposit back to the bank, only to sleep it off and show up to work not much later, was utterly bizarre. It's a shame because most of the book was so real, I was completely transported to a different time and place.
I was kind of bored by this one. The characters are all great but I wanted more to happen. It felt like a lot of the same.
About 3.5 stars for this one. Not as enjoyable as book one. The characters were in such a miserable place, I felt miserable with them. And while I enjoy a good horror, it felt a little cartoonish here.
This didn't work for me at all after the first couple of chapters. Of course it's very difficult to get in the mind of an autistic person and write their experience in first person, but we know it's possible to do it effectively. Unfortunately Cullinan imagines Emmet more like someone who is underdeveloped, almost like he's a child, and too often she attempts to explain behavioral patterns using the logic of a “normal” person.
Jeremey is written like he has severe social anxiety, even though we're told depressive disorder is his biggest problem. He has so much wrong with him that Cullinan doesn't know what to focus on from one sentence to the next. There's no personality beyond his condition. He doesn't feel like a real person.
The love story between these two develops way too easily given their challenges, and the quick focus on their sex life is both improbable and inappropriate.
Overall an exhausting read that I struggled to finish. I'm especially disappointed because the rating had given me such high expectations. I strongly disagree with the Goodreads community on this one.
Really fun read with great characters. There could've been more of a plot and at times the absurdity was a little over the top but you can't go wrong with this one if you're looking for some heartwarming entertainment.
Really enjoyed the main characters and the beginning of their relationship but the crime stuff was quite dull and most of the plot centered around it.
Really enjoyed the first half, but then it slowly unraveled. The dialogue was off, the conflicts didn't seem realistic, the resolutions were cheesy. I thought it would be more emotional. It's a shame because the characters are great on the surface.
Couldn't get into this at all. I suppose the world building was fairly interesting, but the characters in it didn't make any sense. The elves being captured at all was a ridiculous scene. Then the prince (who already has several wives and children) falls in lust/”love” with the prisoner who just killed 15 of his men, and decides to win him over with his kindness. And eventually it actually works. I just couldn't wrap my head around it.
Really enjoyed this one even though it was a little generic. I read it in one sitting so that's always a sign of a good story. Graham and Rikker are just the cutest. Solid writing, solid cast of characters. My only complaint is that the ending felt rushed.
It was hard to put down despite the melodrama and wildly inaccurate and unrealistic military scenes. The very first words set the tone, as Farah is a town in Afghanistan, not Iraq. But it was quite riveting if you turn your brain off.
The first half of this book was pretty incredible. The weeks in Paris falling in love, then reality setting in back home in Texas. Beautifully written, gorgeous prose, the emotions jumping off the page. I was expecting the story to take some devastating turns and really tackle the reality of being a closeted celebrity athlete.
I suppose in a way it delivered, but any semblance of “reality” evaporated a little too much for my taste. I needed more side characters (why does Justin have no friends?), I wanted the characters that were there to have more depth and nuance (the coach and the other players are all ridiculous), I didn't want all the drama to be resolved so quickly and easily. In the end it felt like the author was getting bored of the story himself and just rushing to finish it. It's a shame because there was so much potential.
That said, a lot of that potential could still be unlocked if there's a sequel, and I'm definitely invested in this couple's future.
One of those stories where you figure out the entire plot after the first couple of chapters, but you still end up a weeping mess at the end. Can't recommend this enough. A masterpiece of m/m romance.
DNF @ 40%. Can't really think of anything positive to say about this one. I suppose the concept isn't too bad, but the execution was sorely lacking. No chemistry between the characters, awkward dialogue, confusing and ineffective world building. The omega behaves, thinks and even physically is more like a young girl. Even the writing itself was poor and needed a lot more editing. Stay away!
Love heartwarming stories like this one. But I never really understood how Patrick got his reputation of being such an awful boss to work for. His demands were not unreasonable at all and the lack of manners wasn't that bad. He was such a sweet guy when they finally met. Would've liked it more if his heart had slowly melted, rather than this insta-thing they had going on.
Quite a nonsensical yet predictable story. The whole plot is in the blurb. The quality of the writing is subpar. But it was still easy to read and I liked the main characters, so I don't regret spending a few hours with this. It was nice.
Couldn't get into it. Nothing about this story made sense to me. Didn't detect any chemistry between the lead characters, just weird instalove. Would've been much better if Miki slowly learned to trust Kane over the course of the investigation. Instead he clings to him right away and Kane becomes his pervy babysitter. His partner cop easily acknowledges and accepts that Kane has fallen in love with the victim/suspect/hugely successful pop star after one day. Miki's fame seems to come and go from one scene to the next. I dunno, this just wasn't for me.
The blurb was way more interesting than the actual book. The two main characters are basically in love with each other from the start, so there's not much of a story in terms of romance. The actual story is that they go on a ridiculous and brutal hike through the desert, even though they barely have any experience. To make matters worse, they take their dogs with them, don't even keep them on a leash, and just seem completely irresponsible and unprepared throughout their adventure. Their phones are already dead on the first day with no way to charge them. The characters have no redeeming features either. Tuck isn't so bad, but the first person MC, Ash, is a judgmental asshole.
The writing is good and I was curious enough about the “mystery” to keep reading, but I'm not gonna miss these two.
I loved all of the previous books but struggled to finish this one. I can't believe they were written by the same person. The dip in quality was quite extreme. Most of the characters were barely recognizable, the emotions and reactions were off, the story was completely nonsensical (the whole series is, but again, this was a new extreme). Very disappointing. Hopefully the last book is better.
Not much of a plot, too much sex. Sam needed way more character development. What's there beyond the insecurity and self-deprecation? It was hard to root for him.
Not sure how I feel about this one. It took me a while to get through it. The chapters are very short, each scene is basically its own chapter. The character flaws in everyone are quite aggravating, though I suppose that makes it realistic. The romantic story was probably the least interesting part, since Jackson didn't have much personality and the love between them seemed a little superficial. It's definitely more of a love story between father and son, which the book admits. All in all I'm glad I read it, but I didn't get attached. I am curious about their futures though so I'll give the sequel a try.
Pretty enjoyable, but sometimes it was hard to understand what was going on. It also felt like way too much happened in a very short time.
Struggled to finish this. This instalove thing between two older guys who had already been acquaintances for years was hard to get into. I'd have liked to see more of the years leading up to it when they were raising their kids and had this internal war going on.
Instead it's a very subpar crime story with the merging of their two families as the backdrop. There were some sweet moments and I really liked all of the kids but I just couldn't get invested at all.