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emily_mh's review
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.5
This book is basically straight fluff, and I was fully on board. There were sweet, cute, flustered interactions till the cows came home. Earnest pining - check. No third act break up - check. ONLY ONE BED - check. The kind of story that warms your heart right through.
Despite this loveliness, the true strength of the book is the characters. Both Mitsuomi and Yamato are fully-realised outside of their romance. They are each given a backstory which clearly impacts and explains their behaviour in the present, and their goals and motivations are separate from the romance plot. Both characters have distinct personalities, too.
This dynamism served the romance well, because it read like actual people were involved. Their connection felt real. Mitsuomi and Yamato brought out the best in each other, complimenting what the other lacked. They just FIT.
There was also good character development! Mitsuiomi’s was about finding a new direction in his life and softening a bit. Yamato’s was about sharing himself with others and realising his capacity for romantic love. It was slightly weird that all of Mitsuomi’s development happens in the first half or so with not much change after that. Yamato’s happens in the second half. I would have liked their development to have been more in tandem, with more space dedicated to Mitsuomi’s relationship with his father.
I’m picking up the second volume immediately, although you could happily read this as a standalone.
Rep: Japanese Achillean MCs
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Death, Homophobia, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: foster care system, adoption Minor: loss of a loved one