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amris's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Confinement, and Sexual content
beckyreadsitall's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
[Disclaimer: I received a free eARC of this Christmas novella from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Everything.👏 Adriana.👏Writes.👏Is.👏Gold.
I'm always amazed at how much Herrera can pack into a story, much less a novella, and this is no different. You can read this as a stand alone, but if you have read Herrera's Dreamers series, you'll appreciate Yin and Ari so much more - plus you get fun cameos from past characters!
Yin and Ari are so sweet and earnest together - trying to go out of their way for each other for Christmas, but even nice gestures can sometimes have baggage attached to them, and I loved seeing them work through that together. Ari and Yin have miscommunication in the story, but not in the way you typically see characters in romance novels - where it's almost a rom-com "whoops" of not explaining things well. Ari and Yin aren't sharing reasons of why they do what they do because they have to be honest with themselves about why they are insecure, or feel like they don't fully trust the happiness they've found.
" 'It's some of that underlying racial trauma, of being men who live in the bodies that we do. It's hard to see the news sometimes and not falter in believing we're worth what we know we are. There is so much out there sending us a different message. But we can't let them strip from us our joy and our dreams. Our right to have someone who looks at us like we are the most important thing in the world. To let ourselves believe that we can be that.' "
This was such a lovely story - I would highly recommend it!
Everything.👏 Adriana.👏Writes.👏Is.👏Gold.
I'm always amazed at how much Herrera can pack into a story, much less a novella, and this is no different. You can read this as a stand alone, but if you have read Herrera's Dreamers series, you'll appreciate Yin and Ari so much more - plus you get fun cameos from past characters!
Yin and Ari are so sweet and earnest together - trying to go out of their way for each other for Christmas, but even nice gestures can sometimes have baggage attached to them, and I loved seeing them work through that together. Ari and Yin have miscommunication in the story, but not in the way you typically see characters in romance novels - where it's almost a rom-com "whoops" of not explaining things well. Ari and Yin aren't sharing reasons of why they do what they do because they have to be honest with themselves about why they are insecure, or feel like they don't fully trust the happiness they've found.
" 'It's some of that underlying racial trauma, of being men who live in the bodies that we do. It's hard to see the news sometimes and not falter in believing we're worth what we know we are. There is so much out there sending us a different message. But we can't let them strip from us our joy and our dreams. Our right to have someone who looks at us like we are the most important thing in the world. To let ourselves believe that we can be that.' "
This was such a lovely story - I would highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
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