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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
A product of its time with an incredibly compelling mystery and an MC with a hilarious internal monologue and a liking for the most absurd soda of all time
who the fuck drinks Tab????
who the fuck drinks Tab????
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
que delicinha de livro, sério. os primeiros livros do gênero são todos tão bons que eu fico até meio frustrada que os atuais nesse estilo não são publicados na mesma velocidade que eu leio: poucos deles são tão bons quanto esse daqui e foi e fico com essa sensação que um dia eu simplesmente não vou mais ter o que ler kkkkkkk
i have a feeling i'll like this book a lot more once i get to the rest of the series and get to see their relationship develop. for now, it was an interesting mystery and i thought adrien was super likeable for the most part
A great start to what looks like a promising series.
I am finally getting around to reading this much touted mystery romance. So far, I am having a great time with it.
I am finally getting around to reading this much touted mystery romance. So far, I am having a great time with it.
mysterious
Not quite sure on this one…
While I liked the mystery, I was deeply uncomfortable with the rampant and extremely prevalent use of the F word for gay men. Not only were the cops and other homophobes throwing it around like candy, so were some of the gay men. I recognize that this book was first published in 2007 but I wouldn’t have liked it any better back then.
That’s not the only thing though. When asked by his mother if he wears dresses, Adrien responds, “I’m not a transvestite, no.” I don’t know, that may seem like a little thing to some people but the term is outdated and considered derogatory at this point. Even if it would have been considered inoffensive in 2007, which I question anyway, you’d think Lanyon would update more recent editions to something like, “I don’t cross dress, no.” or simply “No.” I guess if you’re going for period offensiveness, she nailed it.
Still, there’s more. When Adrien passes out because of his heart condition, he thinks to himself, “I sort of think if (God forbid) I had HIV or AIDS it would be more acceptable. If you’re gay and ill people half expect that anyway. But this … I can’t expect another guy to have patience with it. I don’t have patience with it myself.” 😬😒 Really? 😑 Beyond the ‘God forbid, but at least if I had AIDS, it’d be socially acceptable to pass out’, 🙄 the idea that people would be intolerant and impatient that your health condition causes you to pass out, is also problematic and toxic. And yeah, again, we’re talking about 2007, but I’m 2023 Kat and it just didn’t sit right with me.
As all that was percolating in my brain and I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable, it occurred to me to consult my Authors to Avoid list of problematic authors which was complied with 2 close M/M Book Twitter friends back before we all kind of faded off Twitter after 2016 and the Scamtino controversy. Welp, guess whose name popped up on that list? Josh Lanyon. I didn’t have a note about why we added Lanyon and couldn’t remember so I googled ‘Josh Lanyon controversy’ and got hits that flipped my memory switch💡 The first was a GR thread that begins to get interesting at message 9. I only vaguely remembered the controversy from Twitter and GR back in 2015 but posts like those written by gay authors Marshall Thornton (here) and Brad Vance (here)left an impression on me at the time. Between those voices, others like them and my own gut, I was highly suspect of Lanyon as a voice I could trust. This book only adds to the feeling of skepticism and distrust.
No judgment no matter where others fall on the subject. Lanyon may have been well intended all along. She may have apologized. She may have changed. I don’t know. What I do know is that her voice in this story feels problematic to me. She doesn’t feel like an ally; to me, she feels like a cis straight female author fetishizing and profiting off the queer community while at the time, passing herself off as part of the community she was exploiting. It’s not so much in the story itself as in the details and the micro aggressions. Are they even micro? The discomfort started on page one with one of the cops being described as having a neo-Nazi haircutand continued throughout in the ways I’ve described as well as others.
That’s my queer 2 cents 🤷🏻♀️ It’s less about the story and more about the teller and the unease I feel with her.
PS Side note to my dear friend: 😳😅😆 I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t let this one stop or scare you from making recommendations in the future! I love your taste in books and appreciate the rec even though this one didn’t work out for me 😘💛
While I liked the mystery, I was deeply uncomfortable with the rampant and extremely prevalent use of the F word for gay men. Not only were the cops and other homophobes throwing it around like candy, so were some of the gay men. I recognize that this book was first published in 2007 but I wouldn’t have liked it any better back then.
That’s not the only thing though. When asked by his mother if he wears dresses, Adrien responds, “I’m not a transvestite, no.” I don’t know, that may seem like a little thing to some people but the term is outdated and considered derogatory at this point. Even if it would have been considered inoffensive in 2007, which I question anyway, you’d think Lanyon would update more recent editions to something like, “I don’t cross dress, no.” or simply “No.” I guess if you’re going for period offensiveness, she nailed it.
Still, there’s more. When Adrien passes out because of his heart condition, he thinks to himself, “I sort of think if (God forbid) I had HIV or AIDS it would be more acceptable. If you’re gay and ill people half expect that anyway. But this … I can’t expect another guy to have patience with it. I don’t have patience with it myself.” 😬😒 Really? 😑 Beyond the ‘God forbid, but at least if I had AIDS, it’d be socially acceptable to pass out’, 🙄 the idea that people would be intolerant and impatient that your health condition causes you to pass out, is also problematic and toxic. And yeah, again, we’re talking about 2007, but I’m 2023 Kat and it just didn’t sit right with me.
As all that was percolating in my brain and I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable, it occurred to me to consult my Authors to Avoid list of problematic authors which was complied with 2 close M/M Book Twitter friends back before we all kind of faded off Twitter after 2016 and the Scamtino controversy. Welp, guess whose name popped up on that list? Josh Lanyon. I didn’t have a note about why we added Lanyon and couldn’t remember so I googled ‘Josh Lanyon controversy’ and got hits that flipped my memory switch💡 The first was a GR thread that begins to get interesting at message 9. I only vaguely remembered the controversy from Twitter and GR back in 2015 but posts like those written by gay authors Marshall Thornton (here) and Brad Vance (here)left an impression on me at the time. Between those voices, others like them and my own gut, I was highly suspect of Lanyon as a voice I could trust. This book only adds to the feeling of skepticism and distrust.
No judgment no matter where others fall on the subject. Lanyon may have been well intended all along. She may have apologized. She may have changed. I don’t know. What I do know is that her voice in this story feels problematic to me. She doesn’t feel like an ally; to me, she feels like a cis straight female author fetishizing and profiting off the queer community while at the time, passing herself off as part of the community she was exploiting. It’s not so much in the story itself as in the details and the micro aggressions. Are they even micro? The discomfort started on page one with one of the cops being described as having a neo-Nazi haircutand continued throughout in the ways I’ve described as well as others.
That’s my queer 2 cents 🤷🏻♀️ It’s less about the story and more about the teller and the unease I feel with her.
PS Side note to my dear friend: 😳😅😆 I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t let this one stop or scare you from making recommendations in the future! I love your taste in books and appreciate the rec even though this one didn’t work out for me 😘💛
Okay, I really wish I had not started this series, and the reason is purely based on what happens further on in the series which I found out about thanks to a spoilerific review (this one in particular) and I suppose also thanks to the sinking feeling I felt when I got to the end of this book that led me to read that spoilerific review.
Yea, I'm not a fan of drama-llama "romance" series such as this one, and this book also has a few "sins" that I don't care for at all. Of course, a lot of reviewers mention that this series is really more mystery than "romance" in the traditional sense.
Nevertheless, Lanyon seems to have some really rabid fans who can stomach the crazy drama that occurs later on and still love the series. Personally, I can't necessarily fault Lanyon's "writing style" as much as her "writing" if that makes sense. Sure, some scenes tend to go over long and be slightly boring, but, overall, it's not a horrible read. I still don't plan on continuing the series though due to the aforementioned knowledge of developments later on in the series.
Yea, I'm not a fan of drama-llama "romance" series such as this one, and this book also has a few "sins" that I don't care for at all.
Spoiler
The first sin is the trope of the "big, black, and gay man" who gets killed every single f***ing time. The second is that strange sex/rape(?) scene at the end of the book. I get that this first Adrien book is one of the OGs in modern, m/m fiction, so I can barely roll my eyes over the first sin, but the second sin I did not expect. Personally, those types of scenes make me really uncomfortable, as they should! And they're not something I'd want to come across when I thought I was reading a more traditional romance story.Nevertheless, Lanyon seems to have some really rabid fans who can stomach the crazy drama that occurs later on and still love the series. Personally, I can't necessarily fault Lanyon's "writing style" as much as her "writing" if that makes sense. Sure, some scenes tend to go over long and be slightly boring, but, overall, it's not a horrible read. I still don't plan on continuing the series though due to the aforementioned knowledge of developments later on in the series.
Pros: I read this in one night, it was so captivating for me.
Cons: Without the sequel, it isn't "complete" in my humble opinion. The books after this one do not have this problem.
Cons: Without the sequel, it isn't "complete" in my humble opinion. The books after this one do not have this problem.