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A review by so_many_books
You Can Count On Me by Fae Quin
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
5.0
This book made me cry, made me laugh, made me hurt, and made me smile. It took me on an emotional journey with the sweetest story, the most lovable characters, and utterly heartbreaking love story.
You Can Count on Me is a sweet single dad holiday romance that will definitely make you FEEL things. I was enamoured the whole way I was reading it.
Trent and Miles' story is so soft. After a disastrous first date that neither of them were ready for and was orchestrated by the threats of an eleven year old (Bubba), the neighbours fall into slow friendship.
I love how their first interaction opens up Trent's eyes to the precious little family living across from him. I love how Bubba schemes behind his pops' back to get him a boyfriend. I love how Miles slowly starts to trust in Trent after weeks of careful affection.
The story is structured in a way that all the little moments between Miles and Trent, or between their little impromptu family unit, build up the beautiful connections between them. I never felt like the scenes do not contribute to the whole of the story, however small or insignificant they seemed.
The book is very much based on feelings and characters. The plot is there to emphasise them. Like how all the sweet moments Trent and Miles and Bubba share together to show us the tentative bond and affection building between them. Or Trent's small gestures and determined presence show how good and trustworthy and caring he is. Or how there are several inner monologues where we can see into Miles past to help us understand his history, his anxiety, and his fears. Or how Bubba's relentless meddling and comments show how much he cares about Miles and his happiness.
As far as characters go, Trent, Miles, and Bubba are wonderful.
Miles has anxiety that makes it hard for him to speak to strangers. His tongue tied a good chunk of the first part of the book when he interacted with Trent because his so nervous. I liked how his mental health is treated with so much care. Good anxiety and mental health representations are very important, and I'm so glad it is included here. Miles is also this adorable gentle giant with a big heart. I always just wanted to protect him. Just like Trent.
Trent is a surprisingly complex character. His smiles and good nature hide a deep need for comfort and belonging that even he can't seem to see at first. Not until he becomes part of the daily life of Miles and Bubba. His struggles are different yet a little bit the same as Miles', but his insecurities mostly come from thinking he'll never be enough. While Miles mostly thinks no one will want to stay with him.
Their hurt was handled with care. It also shows that while a person you can lean on makes all the difference while healing, it is not enough. Ultimately, you need to resolve your problems yourself.
And then there's Bubba. Bubba stole my heart from the first moment. He's eleven years old. He's wonderful and caring. And he just wants his pops to be happy, too. He provided the most hilarious and most heartbreaking scenes in the book. His innocent and honest care was the sunshine in the shadows. I love him.
I'm constantly amazed by Fae's writing style. The way she is able to bring forward these strong emotions, like sadness, joy, hope, anger, devastation, and love, sometimes even in the same scene, is insane. She is able to rope in the reader by immediately creating an emotional bond towards the characters. And she does that while writing beautifully. I always feel like I'm sitting in the middle of every scene, there with characters, feeling everything they feel.
This book brought me so much joy! I'm so incredibly happy about how it turned out. LYHBL left big shoes to fill last year, but YCCOM delivered.
The holiday side of the story is a little bit less in focus in this book because of the wider time span, but still, the wonderful autumn and winter moments were so joyful.
The spice is kind of sneaky in this story. Imagine reading a sweet, rom-com movie worthy love story and then BAM! Spice. The spice levels are definitely scorching hot, but the relationship between Trent and Miles is built in a way that it is also emotionally loaded. And it's also slow burn with amazing build-up.
Overall, I can only repeat myself when I say this book is joyful and emotionally charged. You will definitely FEEL a lot of things and fall in love with the sweet characters.
I highly recommend this and also Let Your Hearts Be Light if you're looking for a holiday romance.
You Can Count on Me is a sweet single dad holiday romance that will definitely make you FEEL things. I was enamoured the whole way I was reading it.
Trent and Miles' story is so soft. After a disastrous first date that neither of them were ready for and was orchestrated by the threats of an eleven year old (Bubba), the neighbours fall into slow friendship.
I love how their first interaction opens up Trent's eyes to the precious little family living across from him. I love how Bubba schemes behind his pops' back to get him a boyfriend. I love how Miles slowly starts to trust in Trent after weeks of careful affection.
The story is structured in a way that all the little moments between Miles and Trent, or between their little impromptu family unit, build up the beautiful connections between them. I never felt like the scenes do not contribute to the whole of the story, however small or insignificant they seemed.
The book is very much based on feelings and characters. The plot is there to emphasise them. Like how all the sweet moments Trent and Miles and Bubba share together to show us the tentative bond and affection building between them. Or Trent's small gestures and determined presence show how good and trustworthy and caring he is. Or how there are several inner monologues where we can see into Miles past to help us understand his history, his anxiety, and his fears. Or how Bubba's relentless meddling and comments show how much he cares about Miles and his happiness.
As far as characters go, Trent, Miles, and Bubba are wonderful.
Miles has anxiety that makes it hard for him to speak to strangers. His tongue tied a good chunk of the first part of the book when he interacted with Trent because his so nervous. I liked how his mental health is treated with so much care. Good anxiety and mental health representations are very important, and I'm so glad it is included here. Miles is also this adorable gentle giant with a big heart. I always just wanted to protect him. Just like Trent.
Trent is a surprisingly complex character. His smiles and good nature hide a deep need for comfort and belonging that even he can't seem to see at first. Not until he becomes part of the daily life of Miles and Bubba. His struggles are different yet a little bit the same as Miles', but his insecurities mostly come from thinking he'll never be enough. While Miles mostly thinks no one will want to stay with him.
Their hurt was handled with care. It also shows that while a person you can lean on makes all the difference while healing, it is not enough. Ultimately, you need to resolve your problems yourself.
And then there's Bubba. Bubba stole my heart from the first moment. He's eleven years old. He's wonderful and caring. And he just wants his pops to be happy, too. He provided the most hilarious and most heartbreaking scenes in the book. His innocent and honest care was the sunshine in the shadows. I love him.
I'm constantly amazed by Fae's writing style. The way she is able to bring forward these strong emotions, like sadness, joy, hope, anger, devastation, and love, sometimes even in the same scene, is insane. She is able to rope in the reader by immediately creating an emotional bond towards the characters. And she does that while writing beautifully. I always feel like I'm sitting in the middle of every scene, there with characters, feeling everything they feel.
This book brought me so much joy! I'm so incredibly happy about how it turned out. LYHBL left big shoes to fill last year, but YCCOM delivered.
The holiday side of the story is a little bit less in focus in this book because of the wider time span, but still, the wonderful autumn and winter moments were so joyful.
The spice is kind of sneaky in this story. Imagine reading a sweet, rom-com movie worthy love story and then BAM! Spice. The spice levels are definitely scorching hot, but the relationship between Trent and Miles is built in a way that it is also emotionally loaded. And it's also slow burn with amazing build-up.
Overall, I can only repeat myself when I say this book is joyful and emotionally charged. You will definitely FEEL a lot of things and fall in love with the sweet characters.
I highly recommend this and also Let Your Hearts Be Light if you're looking for a holiday romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent