Reviews

Give Way by Valentine Wheeler

inkstndfngrs's review

4.0

I wanted to love this a lot more. I really enjoyed No Parking and I was excited to see this one was out. Buuuuuut…while I like the story as a whole, I do think it was really rushed and could have been fleshed out more. I wanted to see more a struggle for them. More drama around Kevin coming out and becoming comfortable with himself. More insight into why Awais came back to Swanley (mentions his Grandma, but we only see her once, and she seems to be in OK health other than being old?).

Over all though, I still rated high because I love the diversity and complexity of this community. I never thought I would be into books about “elder gays in love”, but I definitely do like this series a lot and can’t wait for another one.

jaydoesitup's review

3.0

This book was pretty cute. The story line was a little out there, but that’s something I’ve come to expect in romance novels. The characters were a little hard to follow, there were so many of them. I wish the book had been a little longer to really flesh out the characters and the story a bit more, but all in all a cute sweet read!

valerieullmerauthor's review

3.0

While this was a sweet read for the holidays, I wanted more time between the two MC's. Kevin, who's been divorced for fifteen years and has been contemplating his bisexuality for even longer than that, and Awais, who's comfortable in his own skin and has moved back after several years away, meet when Awais delivers to his building. While there is a lot of inner dialogue, there wasn't much relationship building. I wanted to see Kevin and Awais connect more through conversation, yet in this story, it's lacking. A good premise with great characterization, but missing the true start to a relationshp.

brittaniethekid's review against another edition

3.0

This was a quick, cozy read but was a little boring with very little chemistry between the two leads. There's a 15 year age difference between them but both are over 40. I'm not sure if it's because they were both much older than I'm used to reading or the over-fantastical view of a East coast small town, but the story seemed a bit flat and unbelievable. If it had been longer, I probably would have not finished it.

scrow1022's review

4.0

Sweet and interesting, also hot.

endemictoearth's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.0

Review  | This book should have worked for me, older protags, a diverse cast, well written, but the background characters took over. And the author just kept commenting through one of the MCs about how weird it was that everyone knew each other and everyone was in each other's business. (Also the older MC has a freakout [NOT that he slept with a man for the first time at age 59, but that he might have helped his ex-wife babysit said human 45 years ago???) The romantic chemistry is the strongest thing in this, but not strong enough.

otterpebbles's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0

I enjoyed this short novella, full of community feels and open perspectives on sexuality especially as you get older. I liked a lot the thoughtfulness that went into the character developments, and how their various internal doubts, prejudices, and desires are questioned and developed into a fun and interesting relationship. I was also interested in how the whiteness of the society was highlighted and the intersection between various identities was raised.
For me, the community was one of the big highlights, and I'm looking forward to reading more set here and uncovering more about the residents.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Biphobia

qace90's review

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.

Give Way is a sweet, short small town romance between Kevin, a retired lawyer, and Awais, a postal worker. When they meet while Awais is delivering mail there is an immediate attraction, though Kevin has always identified as straight up to this moment. When he reflects, Kevin realizes he’s always been bi, but the mutual attraction with Awais allows him to finally recognize and act on that aspect of his identity. They meet again at a local bar and have a wonderful night, but when Kevin realizes he helped his ex-wife babysit Awais a few times, he suddenly feels awkward about the attraction. Awais worries that it’s Kevin freaked out about his sudden sexual awakening at his age, and he has some history of men experimenting with him, which leaves him leery.

This was a pretty quick read and overall pretty light. It happens concurrently to events from No Parking, which features Kevin’s ex-wife Marianne. I really enjoyed getting Kevin’s story and seeing more of Swanley. It’s a fun small-town romance with some really wonderful characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

internalized bimisia, alcohol consumption, bar setting, 15 year age gap (late 40s, early 60s)