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readincolour's review
4.0
It's rare that romances are written from the male point of view, so this was a refreshing read. I'd love a sequel to this.
margaretadelle's review
4.0
I was given a copy of the book by the author in return for an honest review.
Right off the bat, I would caution any reader going into this expecting a romance. It's not so much about love as much as it is looking at relationships and how messy things can turn. Personally, I love looking at that kind of thing, so this book fit well.
Secondly, I would cautious against any reader that prefers their stories to have perfectly moral characters. At multiple points during the story, a character would make a decision and I would think, "Well, you're an asshole, aren't you?" And not all of these poor decisions are rectified by the end, making the concluded open-ended. However, I also appreciate that in a story.
Over all, this story is very raw in its telling of relationships. This isn't HEA guaranteed, it's blunt and honest about relationships failing and surprises turning everything on its head. Even if I didn't like decisions being made, even if I flat out just didn't like certain protagonists at the end, I was still intrigued to see how it would play out. I also appreciated that this book featured a nearly exclusively black cast (save for a few side characters and friends). It helps that the author is a black man himself. Themes of race, especially race being a factor in workplace promotions, is a theme, albeit a smaller one in comparison to the themes on love and relationships.
The only thing that kept this from being a straight 5 star was the writing style. It could feel a bit more philosophical than necessary at times and it dragged certain sections longer than I would have liked.
All in all, I would suggest this for anyone that's a fan of literary or contemporary, especially those looking to add more diverse reads to their list.
Right off the bat, I would caution any reader going into this expecting a romance. It's not so much about love as much as it is looking at relationships and how messy things can turn. Personally, I love looking at that kind of thing, so this book fit well.
Secondly, I would cautious against any reader that prefers their stories to have perfectly moral characters. At multiple points during the story, a character would make a decision and I would think, "Well, you're an asshole, aren't you?" And not all of these poor decisions are rectified by the end, making the concluded open-ended. However, I also appreciate that in a story.
Over all, this story is very raw in its telling of relationships. This isn't HEA guaranteed, it's blunt and honest about relationships failing and surprises turning everything on its head. Even if I didn't like decisions being made, even if I flat out just didn't like certain protagonists at the end, I was still intrigued to see how it would play out. I also appreciated that this book featured a nearly exclusively black cast (save for a few side characters and friends). It helps that the author is a black man himself. Themes of race, especially race being a factor in workplace promotions, is a theme, albeit a smaller one in comparison to the themes on love and relationships.
The only thing that kept this from being a straight 5 star was the writing style. It could feel a bit more philosophical than necessary at times and it dragged certain sections longer than I would have liked.
All in all, I would suggest this for anyone that's a fan of literary or contemporary, especially those looking to add more diverse reads to their list.
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