A review by tristatereader
Cover Story by Valerie Gomez

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

So basically I just adored everything about this book. At its core, Cover Story is a debut novel about two imperfect people finding their person.

AJ Bond and Dax Ximénez are two high achieving, successful adults living in NYC. AJ is the art director at The Modern Gentleman magazine (TMG) and Dax is an up and coming actor whose show has just been picked up by one of the top streaming services. When Dax has a scheduled photo shoot at TMG, he and AJ get off to a bit of a rocky start. But then Dax does something unexpected and invites himself out to dinner with AJ. It’s at dinner that the two spend hours getting to know one another, both seeming to agree that this is the start of a great friendship. As time goes on and the two spend more time together, it’s apparent that their platonic feelings have turned into more. But will the stress of high-demand careers allow for the two of them to be together? 

I loved these characters. I’m coming off some pretty heavy reads recently and breathed such a sigh of relief going into this book and genuinely liking both MCs right from the start. I need more of that in queer romances! The chemistry between D&AJ was incredible. Mental, physical, emotional; they really had so much fun together and I loved watching it unfold. It was all so organic and their transition from friends to romantic partners was seamless. We also need to talk about the beautifully written representation in this book! Mexican-American MC, developmental disability rep, trans and non-binary rep, unlabeled sexuality, and mental health… I loved it all. I also have to praise the author for making these characters in their early 30s because this is an age group that seems to be so underrepresented in queer literature. If what I’ve written so far still has you on the fence, I leave you with this: A+ character growth and tear-shedding found family. 

**Side note: As if the book wasn’t incredible enough, the author also illustrated her own gorgeous book cover! Can you imagine that much talent in one person?! 

Thank you to the author for this ARC 💕