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rhe323's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
ciaraqueer's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
For this to be a book about two men, which isn't really my sapphic style, I really enjoyed this book.
The plot flowed quite naturally, and the friction/challenges the characters face felt incredibly natural & their reactions understandable. The setting of walking the PTC worked really well and felt somehow refreshing in its simplicity.
I LOVED reading about a queer with faith, whose belief in God nor understanding of God's love was in doubt. It's not a huge part of the book (don't worry if you're not religious) but was clearly important to the character and I really enjoyed his journey with it. There is a line directed at a religious homophobe "Your relationship with God is a tragedy" that really got me.
Alexei's backstory is tragic and there is a chapter of letters he writes that had me pure crying, it was so heartbreaking and beautiful to explore his pain and determination to try to move on and not be shaped by other people's prejudice and actions. (Not me crying here just thinking about it)
The plot flowed quite naturally, and the friction/challenges the characters face felt incredibly natural & their reactions understandable. The setting of walking the PTC worked really well and felt somehow refreshing in its simplicity.
I LOVED reading about a queer with faith, whose belief in God nor understanding of God's love was in doubt. It's not a huge part of the book (don't worry if you're not religious) but was clearly important to the character and I really enjoyed his journey with it. There is a line directed at a religious homophobe "Your relationship with God is a tragedy" that really got me.
Alexei's backstory is tragic and there is a chapter of letters he writes that had me pure crying, it was so heartbreaking and beautiful to explore his pain and determination to try to move on and not be shaped by other people's prejudice and actions. (Not me crying here just thinking about it)
notsogreen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
brinotbrie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
beffynicole's review against another edition
4.5
WOW. Who made me wait this long to read this? Felt really relatable (maybe too relatable due to personal circumstances) but I loved the humor & them working on themselves.. Didn't love that Ben just got a tattoo for Alexei before they were dating??
mathildur's review against another edition
4.5
This was so pure??? Incredibly beautiful and emotional story. The third-act-breakup, although incredibly annoying, was understandable, which is something.
piz's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
landofkait's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Alexei leaves everything behind to travel the PCT in an effort to find out who Alexei 2.0 is. What he doesn’t expect to find is Ben, a man who seems bigger than life. Ben is bright and loud and everything Alexei is not. But what happens on the trail can’t last past that, can it? (Maybe it can.)
From the first moment, I knew Alexei needed a hug. And a cup of tea. This poor guy went out into the woods to find himself and instead found a whole new life made up of a man who seemed to be his complete opposite. But opposites attract and Ben and Alexei certainly did as well. Their relation- ship was cute and nuanced and deeper than I thought it was going to be. (Silly me for thinking an Anita Kelly book would be surface-level drivel. I was so charmed by watching Alexei grow and realize that he didn’t need to become some better version of himself; he just needed to let himself be. And Ben was a great foil for this. I enjoyed it a lot!
From the first moment, I knew Alexei needed a hug. And a cup of tea. This poor guy went out into the woods to find himself and instead found a whole new life made up of a man who seemed to be his complete opposite. But opposites attract and Ben and Alexei certainly did as well. Their relation- ship was cute and nuanced and deeper than I thought it was going to be. (Silly me for thinking an Anita Kelly book would be surface-level drivel. I was so charmed by watching Alexei grow and realize that he didn’t need to become some better version of himself; he just needed to let himself be. And Ben was a great foil for this. I enjoyed it a lot!
ealcala's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kshiner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
Really enjoyable. The couple was adorable and handled their individual issues instead of expecting their relationship to nullify their issues. I also liked that there was discussion about how Alexei’s faith was important to him and that religion didn’t have to just be a cudgel to be used against the LGBTQ community. A really sweet book all in all.