A review by wintersorbit
A Tiny Piece of Something Greater by Jude Sierra

4.0

The set-up of this book is really quite simple--two guys in their early twenties are both away from home on the same island, meet, and fall in love. Reid is 20 and taking care of his grandma's condo while she's with his family in Wisconsin. Joaquim, who is 22, has come to the island from Brazil to intern as a scuba diving instructor. They meet when Reid signs up for scuba diving classes. It really just follows the two of them as they get to know one another and build a relationship, which is sometimes difficult because Reid is cyclothymic and deals with mood swings and other mental health problems. Seeing these two fall in love and navigating a relationship together was something that just made my heart ache; it isn't easy for either of them, but they really try to understand each other and make the best of it. Finding books about people in their early twenties that aren't new adult college romance is kind of hard, especially queer ones, so I just really appreciate this book for being exactly what I needed.

Content warnings (as found in the book): Discussion of mental illness, therapy, and recovery. It includes a portrayal of a cyclothymic character who experiences rapid mood cycles and anxiety. There is non-graphic discussion of past self-harm and off-page relapse. It also contains non-graphic reference to a past suicide attempt.