Scan barcode
A review by oceaneanagonye
Cake & Comfort by Romeo Alexander
4.0
This is my second Romeo Alexander book and the second one that I've read in the Men of Fairlake series. There are plenty of allusions to the other five books in the series, but this can be read as a standalone, in my opinion. I would definitely recommend you go back and read the others, however, because Romeo has a fantastic way with words and slowburn romances. Plus, I would like to pack up and move to the quaint little town of Fairlake myself based purely on his beautiful scene setting.
This was definitely a slowburn that started off with our MCs as hostile strangers. At the pushing of a sweet receptionist and friend, Grant and Sylas decide to get to know one another, and the relationship begins to bloom from there. This is a huge deal because Grant is clearly on the autism spectrum.
As someone with Level 1 ASD myself, I usually refrain from diagnosing or assuming real people or book characters have ASD unless it is explicitly confirmed. We don't get that in this book, but it smacks you in the face. Grant has sensory differences, social struggles, a flat affect, has a hard time with inferences, struggles with rigidity and routine... And I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed when Grant was just referred to as "weird", "odd", "strange", and "oblivious" throughout the book. The only time Sylas asks point blank if he's on the spectrum, Grant says he was never tested and that a diagnosis wouldn't do him any good anyway. Maybe this is just me taking my personal baggage into this, but it left me feeling hurt to the point that I needed to take a break from reading at some parts. I know people think I'm all those things, too. I know they don't always understand. Using those terms as "banter" landed more like familiar insults.
I wish it was just said in plain English whether or not Grant has ASD because that would have been a beautiful opportunity for representation if handled with care. I ended up kind of circling on whether or not they'd talk about it for quite a while, and the way they addressed it left things vague.
The relationship built slowly and felt genuine. And I'm glad that Sylas has such a good support in Sylvia! And I would like to wrap Felix up in several comfy blankets and keep him safe for the rest of his life. Romeo's portrayal of a person experiencing mania was SPOT ON.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a slow burn grumpy/sunshine MM romance set in a sleepy, cozy little small town. Triggers include childhood SA, unaliving, and mental health struggles. I would not recommend this book to anyone on the spectrum.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was definitely a slowburn that started off with our MCs as hostile strangers. At the pushing of a sweet receptionist and friend, Grant and Sylas decide to get to know one another, and the relationship begins to bloom from there. This is a huge deal because Grant is clearly on the autism spectrum.
As someone with Level 1 ASD myself, I usually refrain from diagnosing or assuming real people or book characters have ASD unless it is explicitly confirmed. We don't get that in this book, but it smacks you in the face. Grant has sensory differences, social struggles, a flat affect, has a hard time with inferences, struggles with rigidity and routine... And I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed when Grant was just referred to as "weird", "odd", "strange", and "oblivious" throughout the book. The only time Sylas asks point blank if he's on the spectrum, Grant says he was never tested and that a diagnosis wouldn't do him any good anyway. Maybe this is just me taking my personal baggage into this, but it left me feeling hurt to the point that I needed to take a break from reading at some parts. I know people think I'm all those things, too. I know they don't always understand. Using those terms as "banter" landed more like familiar insults.
I wish it was just said in plain English whether or not Grant has ASD because that would have been a beautiful opportunity for representation if handled with care. I ended up kind of circling on whether or not they'd talk about it for quite a while, and the way they addressed it left things vague.
The relationship built slowly and felt genuine. And I'm glad that Sylas has such a good support in Sylvia! And I would like to wrap Felix up in several comfy blankets and keep him safe for the rest of his life. Romeo's portrayal of a person experiencing mania was SPOT ON.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a slow burn grumpy/sunshine MM romance set in a sleepy, cozy little small town. Triggers include childhood SA, unaliving, and mental health struggles. I would not recommend this book to anyone on the spectrum.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.