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patsypup's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
ashshadowless's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly I wished this was longer, the spires books in general need to be longer and more flushed out than what they are. I’ve read quite a lot of the authors other books out of the spires category and find they’re more for filling reads. While I MUCH preferred this read over waiting for the flood/chasing the light, this was better paced in places. I’ve still giving it was four star read because it was definitely enjoyable and I liked some of the plot points and genuinely enjoyed the dynamic even if I think a long story would’ve given it better depth possibly…
fabi_g's review against another edition
4.0
Two very different men. Two very different lives to explore and understand. Their coming together brings light and happiness to both of them.
I very much enjoyed the local accents portrayed for northern England. I can't judge how correct they are, but I always appreciate becoming just a little more knowledgeable through great stories.
This was a great story.
It felt like more than one story. There was so much to learn and feel and understand. The occasional flippant humor kept it from becoming bogged down in angst.
Side characters Kitty and Greg were always good for lightening the mood.
Greg proposes a toast ... "To love, to sex, and to dicks. Whether we have them or whether we don't."
Kitty adds ... "Or whether we are them..." They clinked.
I thought it painted a good picture of Alfie that his best friends Kitty and Greg were his ex-fiance and ex-boyfriend. At different times in his life of course.
Alfie is gay but he came to the realization very late in life. Once we get to know his background, upbringing and family, it's easy to understand why he struggles.
He was raised to be a manly man in an environment where there were clear delineations between a man's place and a woman's place. He longs for the traditional family life.
Fen is the boy that Alfie and his friends used to bully in school. Falling for Fen so many years later and understanding what an impact he'd made on the young Fen's life is beautiful to watch.
Fen is completely different than Alfie. His upbringing allowed him to be and become who he wanted without any undue influence. His parents accepted and encouraged him without reservation.
While the mood of the story was relatively melancholy, the interspersed humor kept it from becoming too brooding.
It's a rather long book for a romance novel. I felt it start to drag a little just after the half way mark. But there was still so much more to learn about each character.
The ending wrapped up too quickly for my taste. But it was pretty amazing to watch these two completely different men find common ground, forgive, understand and move on.
3.5 stars rounded up because I got such a kick out of the accents and slang
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley
I very much enjoyed the local accents portrayed for northern England. I can't judge how correct they are, but I always appreciate becoming just a little more knowledgeable through great stories.
This was a great story.
It felt like more than one story. There was so much to learn and feel and understand. The occasional flippant humor kept it from becoming bogged down in angst.
Side characters Kitty and Greg were always good for lightening the mood.
Greg proposes a toast ... "To love, to sex, and to dicks. Whether we have them or whether we don't."
Kitty adds ... "Or whether we are them..." They clinked.
I thought it painted a good picture of Alfie that his best friends Kitty and Greg were his ex-fiance and ex-boyfriend. At different times in his life of course.
Alfie is gay but he came to the realization very late in life. Once we get to know his background, upbringing and family, it's easy to understand why he struggles.
"God, I wish I was straight. I want straight things, I don't want gay things. I'm shit at being gay."
He was raised to be a manly man in an environment where there were clear delineations between a man's place and a woman's place. He longs for the traditional family life.
Fen is the boy that Alfie and his friends used to bully in school. Falling for Fen so many years later and understanding what an impact he'd made on the young Fen's life is beautiful to watch.
Fen is completely different than Alfie. His upbringing allowed him to be and become who he wanted without any undue influence. His parents accepted and encouraged him without reservation.
While the mood of the story was relatively melancholy, the interspersed humor kept it from becoming too brooding.
It's a rather long book for a romance novel. I felt it start to drag a little just after the half way mark. But there was still so much more to learn about each character.
The ending wrapped up too quickly for my taste. But it was pretty amazing to watch these two completely different men find common ground, forgive, understand and move on.
3.5 stars rounded up because I got such a kick out of the accents and slang
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley
ruthlessly's review against another edition
3.25
I liked this more than the last one I read, even though these are basically the same rating. This was fun and interesting enough. If you like Alexis Hall, it's a way to dip into their blacklist, but I wouldn't necessarily start here. Still, it's enjoyable to go back and see how authors explore similar themes and what changes for them. There's again quite a lot about grief, discovery, a deepening under standing of the self. This is pretty good!
jev2112's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.5
lost_hitsu's review against another edition
5.0
Every single book in this series is so insanely high in emotional impact it's seriously spoiling me for other contemporary romances.
mercurial_rosie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elinapaja's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
5.0
rebecca_3's review against another edition
3.0
Something about this didn’t work for me. I struggled to get through this. It took me 2 weeks! I feel like Alfie was a little stalkerish at first. I like the idea of them together tho.
caitlin_christine97's review against another edition
3.0
This took me a very long time to get into. I wasn’t convinced until maybe 70% in. As always, the supporting characters were amazing and that kept me going.