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A review by kaa
A Little Side of Geek by Marguerite Labbe
4.0
A free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Although this book started out VERY slowly, I ended up enjoying it a lot. Personally, I love romances that spend a lot of time developing characters and families (born or chosen). Family is really important to me and I appreciate seeing that reflected in fiction. A lot of the main storylines in this book involved family members, which was so lovely. I thought Linc, in particular, was very well written - he was very much the teenage boy, but still lovable. I do wish we had gotten a little more time with Morris's family, since there was so much focus on Theo's siblings.
The romance itself was sweet and low-key. Morris and Theo were wonderfully three-dimensional characters, and I really felt as though they were a good fit for each other. Despite the apparent differences between them, underneath they really had a lot in common, and I enjoyed getting to see them exploring that. I also loved how the conflicts between them were written - the author did a good job of taking these disagreements seriously and allowing the characters to have real anger and worry about them without ever verging into melodrama and overreaction for the sake of creating tension. However, there were times when it felt like the relationship abruptly became more serious without showing that development on-page.
I had two main complaints about this book. First, it felt too long. The first half in particular dragged on for me, and there were a number of places where I ended up skimming over long sections of excessive exposition. Second, I didn't see the need for the few sections where side characters were briefly given the POV. It seems as though this is likely build-up for the next books, but it took away from this story for me, especially as these characters faded into the background some as the book progressed. (Also, I am not a big fan of foster sibling romance, and introducing it offhandedly here was a bit off-putting.)
Overall, though, an enjoyable read. I may skip Dakota and Brendan's book, but I'll be watching for Felipe's story!
(Oh, and this cover is perfect. The comic book feel is great, and the model is just right for Morris.)
Although this book started out VERY slowly, I ended up enjoying it a lot. Personally, I love romances that spend a lot of time developing characters and families (born or chosen). Family is really important to me and I appreciate seeing that reflected in fiction. A lot of the main storylines in this book involved family members, which was so lovely. I thought Linc, in particular, was very well written - he was very much the teenage boy, but still lovable. I do wish we had gotten a little more time with Morris's family, since there was so much focus on Theo's siblings.
The romance itself was sweet and low-key. Morris and Theo were wonderfully three-dimensional characters, and I really felt as though they were a good fit for each other. Despite the apparent differences between them, underneath they really had a lot in common, and I enjoyed getting to see them exploring that. I also loved how the conflicts between them were written - the author did a good job of taking these disagreements seriously and allowing the characters to have real anger and worry about them without ever verging into melodrama and overreaction for the sake of creating tension. However, there were times when it felt like the relationship abruptly became more serious without showing that development on-page.
I had two main complaints about this book. First, it felt too long. The first half in particular dragged on for me, and there were a number of places where I ended up skimming over long sections of excessive exposition. Second, I didn't see the need for the few sections where side characters were briefly given the POV. It seems as though this is likely build-up for the next books, but it took away from this story for me, especially as these characters faded into the background some as the book progressed. (Also, I am not a big fan of foster sibling romance, and introducing it offhandedly here was a bit off-putting.)
Overall, though, an enjoyable read. I may skip Dakota and Brendan's book, but I'll be watching for Felipe's story!
(Oh, and this cover is perfect. The comic book feel is great, and the model is just right for Morris.)