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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's between a 3 and 4 for me, but I ultimately went with 4 stars because the book was engaging and had me interested in what was going to happen to the characters right up to the end. It's a slice-of-life tale about four middle-aged gay characters, Ethan, Gabe, Kate, and Nicole. Ethan & Gabe are a happily married gay couple with opposing political views, who are the initial hook of this book. The story starts with Republican Ethan dropping the bombshell that he's going to run for Congress, which puts Democratic Gabe in a tough spot: Should he support his loving husband or stand up for his own political beliefs?
Meanwhile, Kate, sister to Ethan and political reporter, has her own life drama happening when her ex Nicole comes back into her life, seeking an escape from her mundane life & marriage to an older man. Even though the book starts with Ethan & Gabe, it feels more like it's a book about Kate & Nicole. I think that's largely because Kate & Nicole have multiple POV chapters along with Gabe, but there are absolutely zero chapters from Ethan's POV.
This feels like a missed opportunity and makes Ethan feel like less of a character. All of the characters make mistakes and say/do hurtful shit but the reader gets insight into the motivation with Gabe, Kate, and Nicole. The reader never gets to see Ethan's internal monologue or justifications. With Ethan, you're left clueless as to why he's so dead set on being Republican or dragging his family into the political spotlight.
Aside from the criticism about the cardboard cutout that is Ethan, the rest of the characters are messy but engaging. I was curious to see how their lives were going to implode and how they would sort it out. Ultimately, I'm glad I checked it out.
Meanwhile, Kate, sister to Ethan and political reporter, has her own life drama happening when her ex Nicole comes back into her life, seeking an escape from her mundane life & marriage to an older man. Even though the book starts with Ethan & Gabe, it feels more like it's a book about Kate & Nicole. I think that's largely because Kate & Nicole have multiple POV chapters along with Gabe, but there are absolutely zero chapters from Ethan's POV.
This feels like a missed opportunity and makes Ethan feel like less of a character. All of the characters make mistakes and say/do hurtful shit but the reader gets insight into the motivation with Gabe, Kate, and Nicole. The reader never gets to see Ethan's internal monologue or justifications. With Ethan, you're left clueless as to why he's so dead set on being Republican or dragging his family into the political spotlight.
Aside from the criticism about the cardboard cutout that is Ethan, the rest of the characters are messy but engaging. I was curious to see how their lives were going to implode and how they would sort it out. Ultimately, I'm glad I checked it out.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think the concept was there but the structure was messy and unfocused. I don’t think the story with the sister was warranted and I much would have rather it more deeply focus on the race for Congress and the family navigating those issues. Overall it had too much going on but too short to include the amount detail it needed to be a compelling book.
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Damn are all men just trash?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, Vomit, Car accident, Lesbophobia
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this was like watching a spectacularly sad train wreck where you know exactly what is going to happen, because there is literally no way for it to end well, and you keep reading anyway. I'm tempted to just say something like "this is why queer people shouldn't date republicans," which I do think is kind of the point. How do you reconcile sharing everything with somebody who aligns with a party that fundamentally believes you are either an abomination or shouldn't exist in the first place?
There was lots of internal conflict here, and at the end I didn't really feel satisfied with the conclusion of it.
Gabe spends a lot of time wrestling with the decline of Ethan's ethics as he proceeds in his campaign, and this doesn't get resolved. Instead at the end, Gabe is just happy that Ethan still loves him after he "fucked up" by posting his feelings on an instagram story. Ethan endorsed and said despicable things, but he's really kind too! And I understand this is supposed to indicate how complicated this is, but I wasn't satisfied. Plus, I'm never a fan of cheating and so Nicole was completely unlikeable to me as a character.
Everybody kind of sucked, except for Chloe, who was hilarious and honestly one of the best parts. None of them really grew as people either-- they just kind of stumbled into their lives changing by making stupid decisions, not intentional ones.
That said, it was entertaining in a kind of voyeuristic way, because I wanted to know just how messed up they would get before the end.
Entertainment-- 0.75 stars, taking off 0.25 for the cheating
Plot-- 0.5 stars,
Prose-- 0.75 stars, it relied a lot on telling the reader what people were thinking instead of inferences, and it just felt clunky at times.
Character-- 0.75, like I said, they all kind of sucked! but in internally consistent ways, so even if they weren't loveable I did respect that.
Magic star-- 0.5, I was entertained. Gay people can be messy and fucked up too, which I kind of appreciate, actually.
There was lots of internal conflict here, and at the end I didn't really feel satisfied with the conclusion of it.
Everybody kind of sucked, except for Chloe, who was hilarious and honestly one of the best parts. None of them really grew as people either-- they just kind of stumbled into their lives changing by making stupid decisions, not intentional ones.
That said, it was entertaining in a kind of voyeuristic way, because I wanted to know just how messed up they would get before the end.
Entertainment-- 0.75 stars, taking off 0.25 for the cheating
Plot-- 0.5 stars,
Prose-- 0.75 stars, it relied a lot on telling the reader what people were thinking instead of inferences, and it just felt clunky at times.
Character-- 0.75, like I said, they all kind of sucked! but in internally consistent ways, so even if they weren't loveable I did respect that.
Magic star-- 0.5, I was entertained. Gay people can be messy and fucked up too, which I kind of appreciate, actually.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Xenophobia
fast-paced
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes