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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
Reviewing this book is tough. It's written weirdly, where you don't get a lot of actual in the moment scenes, and so much of the plot happens in off-hand sentences. This means you are somewhat at a distance from the story, not fully emersed in it.
But it works. The story is almost entirely from Mike's side, and he is a distant character, the type of person who would gloss over years with just a sentence or two.
I can't say I liked Mike. He frustrated me from early on and he doesn't improve or have any real development. Liam is a sunshine puppy and I would have liked to have seen the story more from his perspective at times. I don't know why Liam loved Mike, why he forgave him repeatedly for being a bit of a d*ck, why he put up with him for so many years.
I guess that's why it felt so realistic. A realistic love story where people aren't perfect and they see the bad things and decide to love the person anyway. Love doesn't always make sense to those on the outside after all.
I cried at the end. I'm not one to really cry at books so it surprised me how emotional I got when I didn't even really like Mike. But cry I did. 4* simply for that in my book.
Don't read if you don't want to feel awful about how unfair life can be.
But it works. The story is almost entirely from Mike's side, and he is a distant character, the type of person who would gloss over years with just a sentence or two.
I can't say I liked Mike. He frustrated me from early on and he doesn't improve or have any real development. Liam is a sunshine puppy and I would have liked to have seen the story more from his perspective at times. I don't know why Liam loved Mike, why he forgave him repeatedly for being a bit of a d*ck, why he put up with him for so many years.
I guess that's why it felt so realistic. A realistic love story where people aren't perfect and they see the bad things and decide to love the person anyway. Love doesn't always make sense to those on the outside after all.
I cried at the end. I'm not one to really cry at books so it surprised me how emotional I got when I didn't even really like Mike. But cry I did. 4* simply for that in my book.
Don't read if you don't want to feel awful about how unfair life can be.
Ouch. That one fucking hurt. That ending was expected and painful, but perfect.
This was a beautiful emotional journey. The writing style was a nice change to what I've been reading lately, almost read like a diary. The author pulls you into Mike's world immediately and you never want to leave.
I have not cried this hard over a book since I’ll Give You The Sun. Fuck, this book gutted me. And I wasn’t expecting it at all. Fuck fuck fuck. I don’t even know what to say.
The writing wasn’t the best and this book won’t go down in history as my favorite, but this story! Fuck, it killed me. My stomach hurts from sobbing so hard and my eyes are already swollen (I’ll barely be able to open them by morning).
I don’t know what else to say, but be fucking prepared to bawl!
The writing wasn’t the best and this book won’t go down in history as my favorite, but this story! Fuck, it killed me. My stomach hurts from sobbing so hard and my eyes are already swollen (I’ll barely be able to open them by morning).
I don’t know what else to say, but be fucking prepared to bawl!
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, that one hurt. Nothing quite like starting the year with a book that absolutely wrecked me.
This was excellent and so devastating. Mike isn’t really a good person, and Liam definitely deserves better, but damn if I wasn’t rooting for them and hurting for them in equal measure.
Heads up: you’ll want to read the content warnings on this one. It won’t save you the heartache, but at least you’ll be *kind of* prepared.
This was excellent and so devastating. Mike isn’t really a good person, and Liam definitely deserves better, but damn if I wasn’t rooting for them and hurting for them in equal measure.
Heads up: you’ll want to read the content warnings on this one. It won’t save you the heartache, but at least you’ll be *kind of* prepared.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Alcohol
when I first started this book. my first thought was no not a third person book. but I got used to it and fell in love with these two characters. This story unfolded so fast... I for sure thought these two were gonna have their own happy ending
but no “I love you” from Mike to Liam their whole relationship broke my heart
them being years apart because Mike didn’t wanna hurt Liam and have him make a bad mistake. broke my heart
Mike being so damn stubborn their whole relationship with never letting Liam help and just keeping stuff from him to protect his heart. forever will have my heart broken.
but no “I love you” from Mike to Liam their whole relationship broke my heart
them being years apart because Mike didn’t wanna hurt Liam and have him make a bad mistake. broke my heart
Mike being so damn stubborn their whole relationship with never letting Liam help and just keeping stuff from him to protect his heart. forever will have my heart broken.
So I've come to the conclusion that a love story that spans years is very much my thing. This was much more than the romance though, and quite a heavy read. Mike was a stubborn, infuriating character but him and Liam have taken over my heart. This book absolutely shattered me.
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think Fitzpatrick may have binged Queer as Folk one day, and asked, 'what if Brian and Justin played hockey?' It was kind of uncomfortable how much things lined up, from Justin's initial immature pain in the ass-ness to Brian's aging and cancer (not literally a direct match).
The characters were one-dimensional, the story covers far too long a timespan, the second half was weepy in a way that I didn't sign up for, and I just got bored. But I also read it in about a day, so there's something to be said there.
The characters were one-dimensional, the story covers far too long a timespan, the second half was weepy in a way that I didn't sign up for, and I just got bored. But I also read it in about a day, so there's something to be said there.