A review by jamieb_19
On the Edge by J.J. Mulder

funny lighthearted 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

4.0

I’m certain the real Atlas behind the walls is worth knowing, as long as I can get past the Atlas guarding the gate.

Henri Vasel loves his friends and loves hockey. As a perpetual people pleaser, he also loves to make other people happy, and for the most part, he’s very good at it. But then he’s paired with Atlas Kaiser for a class project and is bewildered by the fact that Atlas doesn’t like him. Atlas may be rude and prickly toward Henri, but it only serves to make Henri work harder at befriending him. He slowly wears Atlas down, and they form a tentative friendship that ultimately leads to more. Atlas has been conditioned to expect people to hurt him, though, and his fears may end up costing him the one relationship that has the power to go the distance.

I can’t believe I’ve devolved into finding a man wearing khaki pants and polo shirts attractive. It’s disgusting.

Henri was a total sweetheart, which I already knew from his appearances in the first two books, but it was nice seeing him in the spotlight in this book. I’m not sure some of his language struggles were completely believable after having been in the US for 4 years (and speaking 4 other languages fluently), but the formal way he spoke was very endearing.

We got to see a lot of the guys from the first two books throughout this one. Henri was such a good friend to them; he loved his little group of friends so much and was always so kind and supportive. It was adorable how perplexed he was when he first met Atlas, who was outright mean to him. Of course, his general friendliness and persistence wore Atlas down before long, and they made a cute, albeit unlikely, pair.

Although it was never explicitly labeled, Henri was definitely on the ace spectrum, and I liked how understanding Atlas was of Henri’s wants/needs. I would have loved to see a conversation between the two about it, though, especially since Atlas was allosexual and being with Henri would be an adjustment for him. It seemed like he made whatever adjustments he needed because he never seemed dissatisfied with their dynamic, but it would have been interesting to learn more about that.

This one was fairly low angst. There was some in the last quarter of the book, thanks to Atlas’ fears, but we’re not left hanging for too long. The ending was cute, and I was thrilled to see an epilogue with a glance into the future for them (as well as a little info on the other couples in the series).

I was doing fine before a big, goofy, floppy-haired German brought me an apple.