For a Good Time, Call...

I...have mixed feelings. (Also, Swiss cheese memory because I didn't review this book as soon as I finished it.) I liked getting to read about a character that identifies as grey asexual - or grace - and I don't believe I've ever read a professionally published book where the character comes out as says it. I, however, would have liked a little more discussion about it. To me it seems pretty obvious that Seth doesn't know what grace is and, in fact, did research on the internet instead of asking Nate questions. (I can partially understand that, but I would have liked a frank discussion.) It might be partially due to that, or my own somewhat nebulous understanding of grace, but Nate wound up reading - to me - as demisexual. (Also, Seth reads a little like demiromantic, but that's probably just me.)

As this was my first foray into the Bluewater Bay series, there's a lot of people I don't know. I mean, a lot. Sometimes I did feel a little lost, but it was not a huge deal. Also, this story seemed like it was going to build into a bigger plot several times - what with the unpleasant family, the family secret, the big reveals ... but instead it just meanders along. Not to say that was bad, and getting to see Nate and Seth build a solid relationship was nice. But that's all it was to me: Nice. Also, there is a pretty big kerfuffle towards the end of the book. Both boys make mistakes, true, but throughout the book, it seems like you're supposed to side with one of them over the other and like one of them needs to ‘fix' himself. While I disliked pretty much everything about the argument - no, it was NOT a misunderstanding - and subsequent separation, I do feel that these two boys have the long haul in them. I think they turned out stronger for their argument - which feels like what authors are always going for but never accomplish. So, yeah, like the story, but not a caveat free recommendation.