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A review by leewicks
Tigerland by Sean Kennedy
4.0
That. Was So. CUTE!
Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. This one's much more like it. Oh, and my rating? Maybe more like a 4.25.
To backtrack a little though, whilst out for a walk this morning, I finally realised why I had issues with the first book. Throughout it, as you can imagine, you learn a lot about Simon and Dec's personalities, and their mannerisms, their dynamic as a couple, and their internal thought process and all that, and you continue to experience this throughout Tigerland.
What bothered me was that the way Simon and Dec meet, it doesn't fit, so I found their whole relationship kind of...confusing, I guess? It kind of irked me, and whilst I enjoyed a lot of other aspects of the book, that not-so-strong start kind of tainted my reading experience somewhat.
However, I still fell in love with their relationship, and enjoyed Tigers and Devils enough to want to pick up Tigerland, and boy am I glad I did.
We have character growth, ladies and gentlemen! First and foremost, of course, Simon. What with him being the main character and everything, reading from his perspective, it's certainly going to be most prominent example. Whilst he still has his self-deprecating nature, and will sometimes simply revert to acting this way (speaking before thinking and all that), he is making an active effort to...not always be a arty wanker!
Though this certainly wasn't always the case, he thought things through more, communicated more openly and effectively, and although it didn't come naturally to him, he still tried, and that was a wonderful thing to see.
Then we've got Declan, and his whole bit about putting Simon first, and their general comradery, their friendship groups, and the issues within it being addressed and dealt with, and simple domestic bliss, the weekend getaway, and...ugh. This is the kind of soppy drivel I was hoping for.
Also, reading this made me laugh. Quite a few times, as a matter of fact. I needed that.
I think what I enjoy most is that the focus is more on their relationship, and figuring out what it means for them, how they make mistakes and learn, openly communicate, and it isn't about hormones and sex and lust. There's attraction, and whilst of course they do have sex, I appreciate it isn't explicit, because I feel like that would take away something from the book.
A very pleasant and easy read. I really hope there's another one at some point, maybe something along the lines of some sort of ceremony, cough-cough. (I know laws and legalisation and civil partnerships and all that, but one can dream)
Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. This one's much more like it. Oh, and my rating? Maybe more like a 4.25.
To backtrack a little though, whilst out for a walk this morning, I finally realised why I had issues with the first book. Throughout it, as you can imagine, you learn a lot about Simon and Dec's personalities, and their mannerisms, their dynamic as a couple, and their internal thought process and all that, and you continue to experience this throughout Tigerland.
What bothered me was that the way Simon and Dec meet, it doesn't fit, so I found their whole relationship kind of...confusing, I guess? It kind of irked me, and whilst I enjoyed a lot of other aspects of the book, that not-so-strong start kind of tainted my reading experience somewhat.
However, I still fell in love with their relationship, and enjoyed Tigers and Devils enough to want to pick up Tigerland, and boy am I glad I did.
We have character growth, ladies and gentlemen! First and foremost, of course, Simon. What with him being the main character and everything, reading from his perspective, it's certainly going to be most prominent example. Whilst he still has his self-deprecating nature, and will sometimes simply revert to acting this way (speaking before thinking and all that), he is making an active effort to...not always be a arty wanker!
Though this certainly wasn't always the case, he thought things through more, communicated more openly and effectively, and although it didn't come naturally to him, he still tried, and that was a wonderful thing to see.
Then we've got Declan, and his whole bit about putting Simon first, and their general comradery, their friendship groups, and the issues within it being addressed and dealt with, and simple domestic bliss, the weekend getaway, and...ugh. This is the kind of soppy drivel I was hoping for.
Also, reading this made me laugh. Quite a few times, as a matter of fact. I needed that.
I think what I enjoy most is that the focus is more on their relationship, and figuring out what it means for them, how they make mistakes and learn, openly communicate, and it isn't about hormones and sex and lust. There's attraction, and whilst of course they do have sex, I appreciate it isn't explicit, because I feel like that would take away something from the book.
A very pleasant and easy read. I really hope there's another one at some point, maybe something along the lines of some sort of ceremony, cough-cough. (I know laws and legalisation and civil partnerships and all that, but one can dream)