A review by aromanticreadsromance
Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
I'm sad it took me so long to pick up this book, but I'm so glad I did! It is the perfect holiday read. It is full of trans/queer joy, in spite of living in a transphobic/queerphobic environment. Eli is a trans guy. I liked how his story didn't fit the typical trans narrative. He didn't realize he was trans until he was in his 30s, when everything just clicked. So often we read stories about trans people who always knew they were trans (which is great! We need those stories too), so it's refreshing to read about someone who didn't always have it all figured out but is no less trans than the trans people who did. Nick is also experiences a "late" in life queer awakening, and we love that for him.

One nitpicky thing is that the MCs are 39 years old, and the narrator keeps mentioning how high school graduation was 25 years ago. More like 21, LOL. In any case, I did appreciate the inclusion of slightly older characters (adult romances rarely feature MCs over like 35, and if they do, it's only one MC and the other is in their 20s, you know?). It was heartwarming how Eli and Nick (not Nicholas) found their way back to each other.

This is my favorite TJ Alexander book (I've only read one other though, haha)!
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