Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Pictures of You by Leta Blake

2 reviews

friends2lovers's review

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'm really surprised to be the only reviewer, so far, to tag this with the 'tense' mood—there's a lot of tension in this story! Peter and Adam are in a nebulous, secret relationship. They're both in the closet and Peter is already facing homophobic bullying, so if they were to be outed, then the threat of violence becomes even more serious. On top of that, Adam has a girlfriend! So much angst. I was constantly worrying about the characters. I feared Adam and Peter would be caught, while at the same time I hoped for it, so the deceit would be over. If I have one criticism it's that the narrative tension, which builds steadily throughout, doesn't really culminate in a satisfying climax.
I kept expecting there to be a big dramatic moment—a break-up, outing, revelation, or something. But Adam and Peter never get caught, they graduate from high school, and Adam leaves for Italy. Obviously, the story continues in the sequel, so maybe I just need to adjust my expectations since this is not a standalone story. I'm still hoping for something more dramatic/climactic to happen in the next book.


All that being said, there is a rather cathartic scene towards the end where
Adam asks Peter to spank him "and tell me why you're doing it. You know, while you hit me." Peter doesn't hold back: "I thought of the meanest thing I could say that was true. 'This is for being a piece-of-shit cheater. Not just on me, but Leslie too.' Crack."


My mind grasped for meaning, a desperate, drowning sensation taking me over as I flailed emotionally, trying to keep from going under, trying to understand. What had I done? What did it mean? A sob wrenched me. Grief and anger, hatred and love all swelled inside me, and they heaved from my throat in waves.

The characters are well-drawn, complex, and imperfect. It would be easy to paint Adam as a villain and Peter as his victim, but it's not that simple. Peter is young and inexperienced, and I do think Adam takes advantage of his naivety, but he's not completely innocent. He's complicit in their deception, and he knows it. While Peter loves Adam and wants to be with him, their relationship is fraught with guilt, jealousy, anger, and heartbreak. Well, it is on Peter's side. On Adam's side, he's got his cake and is eating it, too. I'm still on the fence about Adam—I don't love him, but I don't exactly hate him, either. I feel he becomes a bit more understandable, if not sympathetic, once his past
history with Jamie
is revealed. I'm really curious to see how his character develops in the next books.

※  M/M, new adult (the MCs are 18), contemporary (1990s), romance (no HEA or HFN, yet), series follows same MC, secret relationship, in the closet, first times, high school, set in TN, angst, 1st person single POV (Peter only, past-tense), novel (102k words), Kindle Unlimited and Audible audio (whispersync ready), read in October 2023
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wrensandroses's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

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