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A review by sunshinemoth
The Prospects by KT Hoffman
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As a rule, I don't read from the romance section. I like romance in stories, sure, but I much prefer it when it's used as an enhancer to a story, not when the story revolves around it. I find romance plots extremely predictable and more tedious than anything. However, when I saw The Prospects sitting on the shelves of the bookstore I work at, it caught my eye. I love Check, Please!—a webcomic by Ngozi Ukazu about a gay man joining a university hockey team and falling hoplessly in love with his captain—and I couldn't help but be warmly reminded of it reading the blurb on the back. Of course, I was also deeply excited by the idea of a queer romance with a trans main character. I asked to borrow it right away. I devoured it in two days.
This book decimated all my preconceived notions of romance novels. The characters were good, including the side characters (Vince especially felt so alive on the page, so real that I wanted to give him a hug). The two main love interests were three-dimensional, flawed, loveable, and—most surprisingly of all—KNEW HOW TO COMMUNICATE! Every time I nearly rolled my eyes just knowing that we were about to enter some contrived conflict that came out of nowhere to screw with Gene and Luis' relationship, I was met with the world's most welcome middle finger as the characters talked about their feelings and made the effort to understand each other.
Not to mention Hoffman's writing style. Charming and down-to-earth without trying to hard, funny without becoming annoying, emotional without being melodramatic. Reading The Prospects felt like stepping outside on a sunny spring day and feeling the sun warm your cheeks. It was light, warm, sweet, and made my chest hurt with how many emotions I felt for Gene and Luis.
I DON'T EVEN LIKE BASEBALL.
This book decimated all my preconceived notions of romance novels. The characters were good, including the side characters (Vince especially felt so alive on the page, so real that I wanted to give him a hug). The two main love interests were three-dimensional, flawed, loveable, and—most surprisingly of all—KNEW HOW TO COMMUNICATE! Every time I nearly rolled my eyes just knowing that we were about to enter some contrived conflict that came out of nowhere to screw with Gene and Luis' relationship, I was met with the world's most welcome middle finger as the characters talked about their feelings and made the effort to understand each other.
Not to mention Hoffman's writing style. Charming and down-to-earth without trying to hard, funny without becoming annoying, emotional without being melodramatic. Reading The Prospects felt like stepping outside on a sunny spring day and feeling the sun warm your cheeks. It was light, warm, sweet, and made my chest hurt with how many emotions I felt for Gene and Luis.
I DON'T EVEN LIKE BASEBALL.