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ellelainey's review against another edition
5.0
Book – A Honeyed Light
Author – Freddie Milano
Star rating - ★★★★★
Cover – Stunning
POV – 3rd person, dual character POV
Would I read it again – Yes
Genre – Holiday, Family, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT
** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **
This was a beautiful story. The perfect length, with great attention to detail, especially for the Diwali holiday traditions and celebrations. At the same time, there was subtle but genius characterisation and diversity. I loved the gentle way the author handled the characters diversity in relatable ways, e.g. the Halloween movie conversation.
Olli and Sunmi are great secondary characters, along with Kunal's family, but Kunal and Oscar definitely shine as main characters. There’s something special about those two, together and apart. So sweet, so romantic. It’s nice to see two grown men – 25 and 30 years old – being cautious, romantic and considerate with each other, without attempting to push the others boundaries. I also loved that Oscar was a proud bisexual man and he was willing to guide the naive Kunal through the scary journey of discovering himself. That last conversation between Kunal and his parents had me nearly in tears and holding my breath. So brilliantly done and with a great, supportive message.
The text itself was beautifully presented, more than easily matching the fluid, well written words and storytelling that made it possible for me to smile the whole way through. Great world building allowed me to immerse myself in the story, in the unfamiliar Hindu culture and the Diwali holiday, without feeling lost, confused or left out.
I was especially intrigued by the ending and the possibility that there might be a new story for these characters. I can’t wait to find out if the mysterious Jamison emerges.
~
Favourite Quote
"Maybe I didn't make this clear enough, Kunal. I like you. I want to get to know you better, I want to date you, take you out places. I want to kiss you, whisper to you all the poetry I can until you're red from head to toe, until you take me to your room or I take you to mine and we keep each other awake all night long. And then I want to do it all over again." Oscar held Kunal's gaze as he spoke. He had been slowly seducing Kunal with his words, and he wasn't about to stop now.
Author – Freddie Milano
Star rating - ★★★★★
Cover – Stunning
POV – 3rd person, dual character POV
Would I read it again – Yes
Genre – Holiday, Family, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT
** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **
This was a beautiful story. The perfect length, with great attention to detail, especially for the Diwali holiday traditions and celebrations. At the same time, there was subtle but genius characterisation and diversity. I loved the gentle way the author handled the characters diversity in relatable ways, e.g. the Halloween movie conversation.
Olli and Sunmi are great secondary characters, along with Kunal's family, but Kunal and Oscar definitely shine as main characters. There’s something special about those two, together and apart. So sweet, so romantic. It’s nice to see two grown men – 25 and 30 years old – being cautious, romantic and considerate with each other, without attempting to push the others boundaries. I also loved that Oscar was a proud bisexual man and he was willing to guide the naive Kunal through the scary journey of discovering himself. That last conversation between Kunal and his parents had me nearly in tears and holding my breath. So brilliantly done and with a great, supportive message.
The text itself was beautifully presented, more than easily matching the fluid, well written words and storytelling that made it possible for me to smile the whole way through. Great world building allowed me to immerse myself in the story, in the unfamiliar Hindu culture and the Diwali holiday, without feeling lost, confused or left out.
I was especially intrigued by the ending and the possibility that there might be a new story for these characters. I can’t wait to find out if the mysterious Jamison emerges.
~
Favourite Quote
"Maybe I didn't make this clear enough, Kunal. I like you. I want to get to know you better, I want to date you, take you out places. I want to kiss you, whisper to you all the poetry I can until you're red from head to toe, until you take me to your room or I take you to mine and we keep each other awake all night long. And then I want to do it all over again." Oscar held Kunal's gaze as he spoke. He had been slowly seducing Kunal with his words, and he wasn't about to stop now.
readerpants's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars really - darn you, goodreads, for still not allowing half stars.
A nice little book! Short, light, quick. No villains, only internalized homophobia, quick resolutions, lots of kindness and good communication. I like the cast of characters and might read more of their stories.
A nice little book! Short, light, quick. No villains, only internalized homophobia, quick resolutions, lots of kindness and good communication. I like the cast of characters and might read more of their stories.
breadedbookpages's review against another edition
5.0
This has a gay Indian-American Mc + bisexual Filipino MC and I LOVED IT. Full review to come.
yabamena's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this so much! I love how diverse the cast of characters are and I really appreciate how Kunal and Oscar's relationship developed. I also really liked how Kunal's coming out was handled. Not sickeningly sweet or perfect, and also not tragic or heartbreaking (there's enough of that to go around as it is).
Basically this was everything I'd hoped it would be and I can't wait for the sequel!
Basically this was everything I'd hoped it would be and I can't wait for the sequel!
endemictoearth's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A very sweet romance centered around a number of celebrations: Diwali, Halloween, and a birthday. Super diverse cast of characters, small town, poetical. It’s a shame this never continued as a series (and suffers ever so slightly from the fact that it was supposed to continue on, with some set up cluttering up the background that would have been fine if there was pay off later.) I would have loved to see Olli’s story next.
undertheteacup's review against another edition
3.0
It was really nice to see two men of color getting to be all romantic and gentle as well as lustful with each other. After reading this I too feel suffused with sweetness and light, both from Oscar and Kunal's relationship and from the descriptions of the Diwali celebration, and all the other restaurant and family scenes. Milano did a great job weaving Oscar and Kunal's burgeoning romance into a tapestry of really tactile elements, anchoring it with the delicious taste of the gulab jamun, the brightness of the diya.
It did seem unlikely that Kunal would be able to work through years of internalized homophobia and the kind of self-loathing he was having issues with in just one conversation, as though the right guy could just melt that all away in a space of weeks. But I can understand why the author would choose to keep this a lighthearted story.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
It did seem unlikely that Kunal would be able to work through years of internalized homophobia and the kind of self-loathing he was having issues with in just one conversation, as though the right guy could just melt that all away in a space of weeks. But I can understand why the author would choose to keep this a lighthearted story.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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