llamallamacallurmama 's review for:

You & Me by Tal Bauer

5.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers.  I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.** 

Ebook 5

Summary: Reeling from the death of his wife, the many years of unhappy marriage and estrangement from his teenage son, and approaching middle age, lonely and depressed Luke finds everything he needs when he volunteers for his son's football team and meets Landon, another parent on the team.

Stats: CR, M/M, Open Door, Standalone

Reading Notes: Unbelievably tender and wonderful.  The couple are so sweet, so earnest and working so hard to be good men and fathers.  The boys were well written teens and the trials and rewards of parenting them felt so real.  I don't understand much about American football, so there were a few very small sections I did skim that were a bit too sport related for me (a page or so each time), but I really just loved everything about this.  I love Bauer's writing, I love his characters, I love the messiness and desperateness and longing he writes.  I love that the sex is grabby and intimate and visceral, and that his books always make me cry just a little.

OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:

depression, teen child-parent estrangement, single parent MC, death of previous spouse, grieving child, grief, mentions of tobacco/marijuana, unexpected pregnancy (in the past), troubled marriage (in the past), 40M/40+M, emotional abuse/parental alienation in previous relationship, character with dyslexia (not an MMC), references to homophobia in society/church, debt/financial problems, mentions of infidelity in previous relationship, discussion of religion (mormon), family estrangement, alcohol, mention of drunk driving as a teen, caretaking, gentle touch, mention of death of parent, bisexual awakening/queer awakening, mention of suicidal ideation in the past, highly consenty, rimming/anal play/anal sex, sex toy use, masturbation, lube use, coming out plot, substance abuse (not by MMCs, during story and in the past - steroids, heroin, cocaine), description of death and medical care (in the past)