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booksafety 's review for:
Invitation to the Blues
by Roan Parrish
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
Roan Parrish is ridiculously talented. It’s almost a guarantee that whatever you read after a Roan book will feel straight up terrible in comparison, and this book was no exception.
I cried because I finally knew what it felt like to love someone more than I hated myself.
Initially I was a little sad about it being single POV, but it made sense for the story and was done well. The book is full of beautiful writing and relatable experiences with depression and anxiety.
Usually I don’t notice the spice in a book all that much and 98% of the time most sex scenes are forgotten as soon as I’ve finished reading them. However. . This little book about depression and finding love might be the hottest thing I’ve read. It was just so intimate and sensual. A lot of it was important for the characters and the story, which made it more impactful.
I really appreciated that there was no ✨magic dick✨ and there’s a focus on living a full life *with* depression, not magically being cured.
Probably my only ‘criticism’ is Jude’s age. I know someone’s age doesn’t tell you everything about them, but I had a really hard time reconciling his behavior and personality with being 36 years old. He felt more like someone in their early 20s.
Highly recommend this one. I will certainly be rereading it.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Mental illness
Eating disorder
Size difference
Edging
Black MC
Lots of foreplay
Following orders in bed
Hands-free orgasms
Age gap
Tattoo artist MC
Caretaking
Hurt/comfort
Depression and anxiety
Prostate orgasm
Blindfolded sex
Sensation play
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Past — recent — suicide attempt (few details)
Smoking cigarettes
Symptoms of depression
Detailed struggle with eating disorder
Harry Potter reference
Alcohol consumption
Prescription drug use
Explicit sexual content
MC emotionally abused by ex (past, details)
Anxiety attacks
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: Almost
POV: 1st person, single
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 27 and 36
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 286
Happy ending: Yes
I made my father uncomfortable. He loved me, no doubt. But love without intimacy is lonelier than indifference.
“[…] Something doesn’t have to be forever to be the most important thing you do.”
Roan Parrish is ridiculously talented. It’s almost a guarantee that whatever you read after a Roan book will feel straight up terrible in comparison, and this book was no exception.
I cried because I finally knew what it felt like to love someone more than I hated myself.
Initially I was a little sad about it being single POV, but it made sense for the story and was done well. The book is full of beautiful writing and relatable experiences with depression and anxiety.
Usually I don’t notice the spice in a book all that much and 98% of the time most sex scenes are forgotten as soon as I’ve finished reading them. However. . This little book about depression and finding love might be the hottest thing I’ve read. It was just so intimate and sensual. A lot of it was important for the characters and the story, which made it more impactful.
I really appreciated that there was no ✨magic dick✨ and there’s a focus on living a full life *with* depression, not magically being cured.
Probably my only ‘criticism’ is Jude’s age. I know someone’s age doesn’t tell you everything about them, but I had a really hard time reconciling his behavior and personality with being 36 years old. He felt more like someone in their early 20s.
Highly recommend this one. I will certainly be rereading it.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Mental illness
Eating disorder
Size difference
Edging
Black MC
Lots of foreplay
Following orders in bed
Hands-free orgasms
Age gap
Tattoo artist MC
Caretaking
Hurt/comfort
Depression and anxiety
Prostate orgasm
Blindfolded sex
Sensation play
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Past — recent — suicide attempt (few details)
Smoking cigarettes
Symptoms of depression
Detailed struggle with eating disorder
Harry Potter reference
Alcohol consumption
Prescription drug use
Explicit sexual content
MC emotionally abused by ex (past, details)
Anxiety attacks
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: Almost
POV: 1st person, single
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 27 and 36
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 286
Happy ending: Yes
I made my father uncomfortable. He loved me, no doubt. But love without intimacy is lonelier than indifference.
“[…] Something doesn’t have to be forever to be the most important thing you do.”