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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Too inner monolouguie and the narrator is boring af.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
i love discovering new queer authors who is this specific brand of my liking and like a landslide, being enamored of them.
dylan morrison's voice is so refreshingly charming, elegant, and absurdly pretty, and ridiculously charming (did i mention that before?), its texture smooth and buttery but also sharpened with a blade, kneaded with a high amount of humor and wit into this incredible mix that, again, is the exact ratio of my preference. and i mean HIGH amount of humor. i was constantly having to laugh every other page. honestly, i haven't had such a brilliant blend of funny and (relatively) somber in a while and it was so rejuvenating.
it's about will, a scientist/botanist, who comes back to his family farm after hearing about the death of his father, with whom he's been estranged for over a decade, and needing to decide to sell the farm, much to the distaste of the farm manager. a farm manager who's the personification of a sunshine except when it comes to will.
i connected to will on a molecular level and immediately rooted for him. his whole character just hit a little hard for me not to feel decimated: either by will pursuing his passion of academia and scientific study and research into apples (i know way too much about apples now) or his strained and almost nonexistent relationship with his father. it was painful and yet validating to see the way the author charted their history, father who cannot let their children be their own person, have their own life, who impose their expectations on their children without any emotional input or output to stabilize their childhood, and the debilitating way it can affect a child and alienate them. the consequences of a parenting that's burdened by their own past and mistakes.
the grumpy/sunshine enegry was unmatched. i loved how will and casey's animosity gradually settled and then flickered out and then grew into something intense and profound like friendship and attraction and there was also the aspect of /being stuck together in the town in a natural disaster and having to rescue people together/ and ngl, i didn't know i was a fan of that theme in a way until i read it in flirting with disasters and here.
so really this was an amazing debut and romance and i cannot wait to read the author's next work!!
dylan morrison's voice is so refreshingly charming, elegant, and absurdly pretty, and ridiculously charming (did i mention that before?), its texture smooth and buttery but also sharpened with a blade, kneaded with a high amount of humor and wit into this incredible mix that, again, is the exact ratio of my preference. and i mean HIGH amount of humor. i was constantly having to laugh every other page. honestly, i haven't had such a brilliant blend of funny and (relatively) somber in a while and it was so rejuvenating.
it's about will, a scientist/botanist, who comes back to his family farm after hearing about the death of his father, with whom he's been estranged for over a decade, and needing to decide to sell the farm, much to the distaste of the farm manager. a farm manager who's the personification of a sunshine except when it comes to will.
i connected to will on a molecular level and immediately rooted for him. his whole character just hit a little hard for me not to feel decimated: either by will pursuing his passion of academia and scientific study and research into apples (i know way too much about apples now) or his strained and almost nonexistent relationship with his father. it was painful and yet validating to see the way the author charted their history, father who cannot let their children be their own person, have their own life, who impose their expectations on their children without any emotional input or output to stabilize their childhood, and the debilitating way it can affect a child and alienate them. the consequences of a parenting that's burdened by their own past and mistakes.
the grumpy/sunshine enegry was unmatched. i loved how will and casey's animosity gradually settled and then flickered out and then grew into something intense and profound like friendship and attraction and there was also the aspect of /being stuck together in the town in a natural disaster and having to rescue people together/ and ngl, i didn't know i was a fan of that theme in a way until i read it in flirting with disasters and here.
so really this was an amazing debut and romance and i cannot wait to read the author's next work!!
This book has no right to be this good. A sophisticated hallmark romance depicting what it means to be an adult, grappling with family trauma and finding your community.
Thanks to Dylan Morrison, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC! My review is my own.
This book was delightful and I absolutely tore through it. It's got more angst in it than I would ordinarily expect from something billed as a rom-com, but that angst is well-portrayed and thoughtfully handled.
"Will can almost feel the man that he was supposed to be hovering behind him, breath harsh against the back of his neck, waiting with dwindling patience for Will to turn around and face him."
Will spent the first 18 years of his life being constantly reminded that he's a disappointing failure to live up to the manly family legacy and take over the family farm. He walks away vowing never to return... but he has to, when it turns out that his father never changed his will and Will has inherited the farm. He goes back to his hometown to sell the farm to a developer. There he meets Casey, the farm manager, who is everything Will was supposed to have been but isn't: tall, burly, sociable, a business success, and beloved by the entire town - including Will's late father. Casey's living in Will's childhood home and running his family's business. Instant animosity ensues. When a natural disaster strands Will at the farm, he's forced to come to terms with his past, his present life, and his growing feelings for Casey.
Note #1: There is definitely some handwaving that you have to overlook here. Our setting is a delightfully atypical tiny Ohio town where, apparently, the only homophobic residents were Will's now-deceased parents and the town is economically thriving with new businesses on Main Street and lots of young people. Also, Will's improbable trajectory from "leaving home with nothing" to "becoming a successful academic researcher" is glossed over as something that was hard for a few years but manageable. But if you're willing to let fantasy be fantasy, this is a lovely book.
Note #2: Spicy as apple juice. Thoroughly closed-door.
This book was delightful and I absolutely tore through it. It's got more angst in it than I would ordinarily expect from something billed as a rom-com, but that angst is well-portrayed and thoughtfully handled.
"Will can almost feel the man that he was supposed to be hovering behind him, breath harsh against the back of his neck, waiting with dwindling patience for Will to turn around and face him."
Will spent the first 18 years of his life being constantly reminded that he's a disappointing failure to live up to the manly family legacy and take over the family farm. He walks away vowing never to return... but he has to, when it turns out that his father never changed his will and Will has inherited the farm. He goes back to his hometown to sell the farm to a developer. There he meets Casey, the farm manager, who is everything Will was supposed to have been but isn't: tall, burly, sociable, a business success, and beloved by the entire town - including Will's late father. Casey's living in Will's childhood home and running his family's business. Instant animosity ensues. When a natural disaster strands Will at the farm, he's forced to come to terms with his past, his present life, and his growing feelings for Casey.
Note #1: There is definitely some handwaving that you have to overlook here. Our setting is a delightfully atypical tiny Ohio town where, apparently, the only homophobic residents were Will's now-deceased parents and the town is economically thriving with new businesses on Main Street and lots of young people. Also, Will's improbable trajectory from "leaving home with nothing" to "becoming a successful academic researcher" is glossed over as something that was hard for a few years but manageable. But if you're willing to let fantasy be fantasy, this is a lovely book.
Note #2: Spicy as apple juice. Thoroughly closed-door.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A really strong debut; big gay Hallmark movie vibes. Great characterization, believable romance (despite the short timeline!), and thoughtful treatment of trauma. Prone, at times, to a bit too much pontificating and too many italics, but nevertheless a quick and sweet read.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted