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esmayrosalyne 's review for:
The Companion
by E.E. Ottoman
Full of queer messiness and trans polyamorous love, The Companion is a cozy yet surprisingly steamy romance novella that feels like the epitome of "no plot, just vibes".
Look, I am allll here for the queer joy and seeing tired, broken characters find a safe place to call home; in theory I truly adore what Ottoman set out to do with this story. However, I am a slow-burn girlie at heart, and the progression of these (sexual) relationships happened so ridiculously quickly that I just couldn't feel invested at all.
Also, how many spicy scenes can you cram into a novella of 160 pages? I mean, more power to these characters for just hitting it off and living their best life, but I don't think I wanted to be present for all of their explicit intimate moments, thank you very much. Give me more of the emotional bonding, that is the stuff I eat up!
That said, the cozy cottagecore vibes in this novella are truly immaculate, and I would not have minded the entire story to just focus on frolicking around in the countryside. Moreover, I really liked the themes of healing, forgiveness, and following for your dreams that we get to explore in unique ways for each of these characters.
Ultimately I think this is more a case of "it's not you, it's me", and I should have read some reviews beforehand so I'd have known to expect so much explicit steamy action. If you like the idea of a super cozy and super spicy polyamorous romance between two trans women and a trans man, all set in the 1948 New York countryside, then this will totally hit the spot!
Look, I am allll here for the queer joy and seeing tired, broken characters find a safe place to call home; in theory I truly adore what Ottoman set out to do with this story. However, I am a slow-burn girlie at heart, and the progression of these (sexual) relationships happened so ridiculously quickly that I just couldn't feel invested at all.
Also, how many spicy scenes can you cram into a novella of 160 pages? I mean, more power to these characters for just hitting it off and living their best life, but I don't think I wanted to be present for all of their explicit intimate moments, thank you very much. Give me more of the emotional bonding, that is the stuff I eat up!
That said, the cozy cottagecore vibes in this novella are truly immaculate, and I would not have minded the entire story to just focus on frolicking around in the countryside. Moreover, I really liked the themes of healing, forgiveness, and following for your dreams that we get to explore in unique ways for each of these characters.
Ultimately I think this is more a case of "it's not you, it's me", and I should have read some reviews beforehand so I'd have known to expect so much explicit steamy action. If you like the idea of a super cozy and super spicy polyamorous romance between two trans women and a trans man, all set in the 1948 New York countryside, then this will totally hit the spot!