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A review by becka6131
The Guy Next Door by V.C. Lancaster
5.0
This was such a treat. I've been waiting for Kez's story after he appeared in the New Guy because he was just so grumpy with Maggie and protective of Ro that I wanted to see how the author would make him into a sympathetic hero. The answer is that Kez is painfully insecure about himself - his race, what he has to offer, his place in the new world his people have settled in. He thinks it's easier to keep to himself than to try and form connections because he's always been shunned and ignored by others and he's afraid of getting hurt. But his next door neighbour Bia isn't afraid of getting in his face to try and make him connect with her because she's convinced they belong together, which is where the story begins.
Watching these two develop a real relationship was completely wonderful. Kez is so reluctant at first but due to a combination of circumstances he ends up enveloped in Bia's company, and once he starts really paying attention to her he sees all the things about her that there are to fall in love with - she's bubbly and sweet and kind even when people aren't kind to her, she's beautiful, and she sees good qualities in him that he can't see himself. Kez starts off thinking of their relationship as a kind of practice run where he's teaching her stuff about how to be a mate and how to live in the human world, but he ends up learning just as much from her. He's oblivious to his own feelings for so long (one of my favourite Emotionally Unavailable Hero traits) but it makes sense because his personality is based around his intense insecurities and the fact that he keeps them a secret from everyone, which encourages the belief that he doesn't deserve to be with someone good. He tries hard to believe that he doesn't want to be with Bia for her own sake and many of the book's funniest or sweetest moments stem from his inability to admit that he's falling in love with her. Watching him overcome the emotional obstacles that are stopping him from having that relationship is very satisfying.
Bia herself is a real sweetheart and I didn't get that thing that you sometimes get with single POV romances where you feel disconnected from the other central character, perhaps because Bia almost always says exactly what she's thinking, but also I think because Kez himself is always thinking about her and making observations about her, even when he thinks he's not interested (I'm telling you, it's dynamite).
As usual, the more I read of this series the more interested I am in the Teissian cultures of the different alien species - I particularly loved all the detail in this one about how much the Balor and Balin love colours and the almost hypnotic effect it has on them. I just thought that was so funny and cute. I have also lost track of how many times I've read The New Guy so I was DELIGHTED by every mention of Maggie and Ro, and there's one extended scene with them and Bia and Kez at dinner where I was just screenshotting every page and sending it to my friend because every character was on top form and I was rolling around with glee.
I respect VC Lancaster's candour in the afterword about her experience with getting a sensitivity reader on this book. I didn't really see the problems with Kez's biracial identity while I was reading the book but then again I am white and have not had that experience and ultimately was probably being a dope about it. I can see how the representation would come across as negative and Lancaster is very upfront about that issue in the afterword. All I can say is that I loved the book and I can't be sorry she published it; it's one of my favourites in this series so I recommend it on that basis.
Watching these two develop a real relationship was completely wonderful. Kez is so reluctant at first but due to a combination of circumstances he ends up enveloped in Bia's company, and once he starts really paying attention to her he sees all the things about her that there are to fall in love with - she's bubbly and sweet and kind even when people aren't kind to her, she's beautiful, and she sees good qualities in him that he can't see himself. Kez starts off thinking of their relationship as a kind of practice run where he's teaching her stuff about how to be a mate and how to live in the human world, but he ends up learning just as much from her. He's oblivious to his own feelings for so long (one of my favourite Emotionally Unavailable Hero traits) but it makes sense because his personality is based around his intense insecurities and the fact that he keeps them a secret from everyone, which encourages the belief that he doesn't deserve to be with someone good. He tries hard to believe that he doesn't want to be with Bia for her own sake and many of the book's funniest or sweetest moments stem from his inability to admit that he's falling in love with her. Watching him overcome the emotional obstacles that are stopping him from having that relationship is very satisfying.
Bia herself is a real sweetheart and I didn't get that thing that you sometimes get with single POV romances where you feel disconnected from the other central character, perhaps because Bia almost always says exactly what she's thinking, but also I think because Kez himself is always thinking about her and making observations about her, even when he thinks he's not interested (I'm telling you, it's dynamite).
As usual, the more I read of this series the more interested I am in the Teissian cultures of the different alien species - I particularly loved all the detail in this one about how much the Balor and Balin love colours and the almost hypnotic effect it has on them. I just thought that was so funny and cute. I have also lost track of how many times I've read The New Guy so I was DELIGHTED by every mention of Maggie and Ro, and there's one extended scene with them and Bia and Kez at dinner where I was just screenshotting every page and sending it to my friend because every character was on top form and I was rolling around with glee.
I respect VC Lancaster's candour in the afterword about her experience with getting a sensitivity reader on this book. I didn't really see the problems with Kez's biracial identity while I was reading the book but then again I am white and have not had that experience and ultimately was probably being a dope about it. I can see how the representation would come across as negative and Lancaster is very upfront about that issue in the afterword. All I can say is that I loved the book and I can't be sorry she published it; it's one of my favourites in this series so I recommend it on that basis.