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A review by whatjanereads
Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish
5.0
Actual rating 4,5
Rep: gay MC, depression, anxiety, Black loveinterest, interracial relationship, trans SC, adoption
TW: depression, anxiety, attempted suicide (before the events of the book; only mentioned, not seen), sibling in the army, gaslighting/ toxic relationship (before the events of the book)
[I appreciate that I never have to put homophobia in the TWs of her books. It’s nice to read queer books like that sometimes.]
Look, I don’t know how Roan Parrish does it, but she always creates characters that I feel so deeply connected to I want to cry. I can just see myself a little in all of her characters, even though none of them are even remotely the same and none of her stories are similar either.
She has a way of writing characters that show such a deep insight into the human brain and feels, I really want to know what it looks like in her head.
For this story it was no different.
I was a little afraid to start this book to be honest, mainly because of the MC Jude. Jude has depression and anxiety and is now living in Philadelphia with his family, after leaving Boston and his boyfriend of 5 years after an attempted suicide.
And honestly, I wished I read this book way earlier. I felt so seen reading about Judes feelings and thoughts. I wished someone said the things Judes family and friends told him years ago.
His friends who care about him, the love interest Faron included, are all so amazing. They don’t treat him any differently, there is no judgment at all. They just want to be with him, their love doesn’t come with any conditions. I loved to see that.
I imagined it to be a rather dark and sad book, but it isn’t. It’s about healing and coming back from a dark place and a hard time in your life and I loved to read about that.
I also love the way Roan Parrish talks about sex in her books. There is always open communication and consent is a big theme. Also it’s never a thing that is just DONE, nothing that simply HAS to happen. It is always implied or even said outright that it’s an OPTION, not a must. Nothing a partner can feel entitled to have from you.
I love that every single one of her relationships is so different. The couples in every book have very different expectations and ideas of what a perfect relationship looks like. Of what sex is. What they want out of a relationship.
Jude for example (sometimes) has erectile distinction due to the medication he takes. Sometimes he doesn’t like being touched. Sometimes he doesn’t want to talk, but not be alone either. But with the right person it just works. And that person is Faron, they just work so perfectly together.
I loved this book, I loved the side characters (if you read the Middle of somewhere books and the first book in this series: you already know most of them).
I wished there would have been a little more discussion and more of a conclusion to his relationship with his ex boyfriend.
I would have also wished for his friend from the clinic to be involved more (And I would have loved to read a bit more about therapy, but I don’t really know how it works or what it is like to live with depression for over 15 years. So maybe therapy isn’t even a thing then.).
Other than that I can only recommend reading or listening to this (the audio is amazing)!
Rep: gay MC, depression, anxiety, Black loveinterest, interracial relationship, trans SC, adoption
TW: depression, anxiety, attempted suicide (before the events of the book; only mentioned, not seen), sibling in the army, gaslighting/ toxic relationship (before the events of the book)
[I appreciate that I never have to put homophobia in the TWs of her books. It’s nice to read queer books like that sometimes.]
Look, I don’t know how Roan Parrish does it, but she always creates characters that I feel so deeply connected to I want to cry. I can just see myself a little in all of her characters, even though none of them are even remotely the same and none of her stories are similar either.
She has a way of writing characters that show such a deep insight into the human brain and feels, I really want to know what it looks like in her head.
For this story it was no different.
I was a little afraid to start this book to be honest, mainly because of the MC Jude. Jude has depression and anxiety and is now living in Philadelphia with his family, after leaving Boston and his boyfriend of 5 years after an attempted suicide.
And honestly, I wished I read this book way earlier. I felt so seen reading about Judes feelings and thoughts. I wished someone said the things Judes family and friends told him years ago.
His friends who care about him, the love interest Faron included, are all so amazing. They don’t treat him any differently, there is no judgment at all. They just want to be with him, their love doesn’t come with any conditions. I loved to see that.
I imagined it to be a rather dark and sad book, but it isn’t. It’s about healing and coming back from a dark place and a hard time in your life and I loved to read about that.
I also love the way Roan Parrish talks about sex in her books. There is always open communication and consent is a big theme. Also it’s never a thing that is just DONE, nothing that simply HAS to happen. It is always implied or even said outright that it’s an OPTION, not a must. Nothing a partner can feel entitled to have from you.
I love that every single one of her relationships is so different. The couples in every book have very different expectations and ideas of what a perfect relationship looks like. Of what sex is. What they want out of a relationship.
Jude for example (sometimes) has erectile distinction due to the medication he takes. Sometimes he doesn’t like being touched. Sometimes he doesn’t want to talk, but not be alone either. But with the right person it just works. And that person is Faron, they just work so perfectly together.
I loved this book, I loved the side characters (if you read the Middle of somewhere books and the first book in this series: you already know most of them).
I wished there would have been a little more discussion and more of a conclusion to his relationship with his ex boyfriend.
I would have also wished for his friend from the clinic to be involved more (And I would have loved to read a bit more about therapy, but I don’t really know how it works or what it is like to live with depression for over 15 years. So maybe therapy isn’t even a thing then.).
Other than that I can only recommend reading or listening to this (the audio is amazing)!