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A review by sarahmcg
The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver
My rating: 3.5⭐️
Vibes: 🏳️⚧️🤑✈️💍🎸🎤
Publishing date: Aug 2022 (out now)
Mini synopsis: Neil breaks up with Josh, his friends-with-benefits, when he tells Neil he loves him, right before they are supposed to fly home for Neil’s brother’s wedding. Now, Neil needs a new date to bring along to prove to Josh that he’s over him and needs to move on. Enter: Josh’s roommate Wyatt, who thinks Neil is being a jerk, but goes along with the plan; as they get to know each other, they begin to understand each other, and learn what it can be like to truly fall in love for the first time.
What to expect:
Trans MMC
NB love interest
Several queer side characters
Roommates, fake dating
Young adult
What I liked:
- Wyatt ❤️ this sweet character *made* this story; their accent, their polite and humble nature, and the way they basically gave Neil a reality check
- I loved that the world this story occurred in had a ton of queer characters, including the friend group at school and Wyatt’s moms
My critiques:
- OMG Neil was soooo unlikeable! I just could not cheer for this main character. Ignorant, oblivious, entitled, rude, whiny… I could go on. Since the book is from his POV, you see all of his interactions, and he’s an asshole to literally everyone in his life. Just such a basic Beverly Hills rich kid who looked down on Wyatt’s clothes and basically everything else about them because he could tell their family didn’t have money. Neil really needed some serious character growth/an arc, but this book only took place over 1 week which brings me to…
- The pacing. It’s possible this book could have benefitted from a longer timeline, but I get the fact that this revolved around an upcoming wedding made that challenging
Overall, a quick read that I enjoyed in audiobook format.
⚠️ CW/TW: underage drinking, mention of neglectful parenting, transphobia (throughout, and specific incident with TSA), homophobia, indirect dead naming (Neil is dead named but the dead name is never mentioned on page and simply alluded to), fade-to-black sex scene, mentions of past sexual relationship
My rating: 3.5⭐️
Vibes: 🏳️⚧️🤑✈️💍🎸🎤
Publishing date: Aug 2022 (out now)
Mini synopsis: Neil breaks up with Josh, his friends-with-benefits, when he tells Neil he loves him, right before they are supposed to fly home for Neil’s brother’s wedding. Now, Neil needs a new date to bring along to prove to Josh that he’s over him and needs to move on. Enter: Josh’s roommate Wyatt, who thinks Neil is being a jerk, but goes along with the plan; as they get to know each other, they begin to understand each other, and learn what it can be like to truly fall in love for the first time.
What to expect:
Trans MMC
NB love interest
Several queer side characters
Roommates, fake dating
Young adult
What I liked:
- Wyatt ❤️ this sweet character *made* this story; their accent, their polite and humble nature, and the way they basically gave Neil a reality check
- I loved that the world this story occurred in had a ton of queer characters, including the friend group at school and Wyatt’s moms
My critiques:
- OMG Neil was soooo unlikeable! I just could not cheer for this main character. Ignorant, oblivious, entitled, rude, whiny… I could go on. Since the book is from his POV, you see all of his interactions, and he’s an asshole to literally everyone in his life. Just such a basic Beverly Hills rich kid who looked down on Wyatt’s clothes and basically everything else about them because he could tell their family didn’t have money. Neil really needed some serious character growth/an arc, but this book only took place over 1 week which brings me to…
- The pacing. It’s possible this book could have benefitted from a longer timeline, but I get the fact that this revolved around an upcoming wedding made that challenging
Overall, a quick read that I enjoyed in audiobook format.
⚠️ CW/TW: underage drinking, mention of neglectful parenting, transphobia (throughout, and specific incident with TSA), homophobia, indirect dead naming (Neil is dead named but the dead name is never mentioned on page and simply alluded to), fade-to-black sex scene, mentions of past sexual relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming and Alcohol