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mallorypen's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
3.75
I liked this book! I found it to be a quiet coming of age story, with a sweet second chance with a childhood love, mixed in with a soft storyline about the importance of family and acceptance.
All of the main characters - Kito, Mr. C, Emmett, Ojima - had strong character voices. I felt like I got a really solid sense of who they were, without leaning too heavily on stereotyping to get the reader there. That’s not to say there weren’t tropes, but I thought they were used with sensitivity. The longing Kito feels throughout his life - for music, for acceptance, for Emmett, for a purpose for his gifts - was a consistent theme throughout the story, and the music of music as a metaphor wasn’t overdone.
There were a few things that brought my overall rating down. The pace of the story was overall rather slow - it allowed for a really beautiful slow burn between Emmett and Kito, but sometimes I just wanted the story to pick up. I also felt that there wasn’t anything surprising about the story, and part of that was in the author’s (sometimes heavy handed) use of foreshadowing. Obviously the relationship with Mark wasn’t going to work and he was set up with the perfect person to cheat with; obviously Emmett was in love with Kito since high school. Obviously Kito was going to find his voice and purpose by following his father’s footsteps into the main thing that tied his family together, and the writing was on the wall that Emmett and Kito would end up together. I wasn’t expecting the assumed assault, but it ended up being something of a non-issue when the story was all told. For all the beauty of the slow burn, there just wasn’t much tension throughout the plot. And lastly, there were a few moments where the sentimentality got a little thick for me.
The reader did a GREAT job - accents, singing, near-tears delivery and all!
All of the main characters - Kito, Mr. C, Emmett, Ojima - had strong character voices. I felt like I got a really solid sense of who they were, without leaning too heavily on stereotyping to get the reader there. That’s not to say there weren’t tropes, but I thought they were used with sensitivity. The longing Kito feels throughout his life - for music, for acceptance, for Emmett, for a purpose for his gifts - was a consistent theme throughout the story, and the music of music as a metaphor wasn’t overdone.
There were a few things that brought my overall rating down. The pace of the story was overall rather slow - it allowed for a really beautiful slow burn between Emmett and Kito, but sometimes I just wanted the story to pick up. I also felt that there wasn’t anything surprising about the story, and part of that was in the author’s (sometimes heavy handed) use of foreshadowing. Obviously the relationship with Mark wasn’t going to work and he was set up with the perfect person to cheat with; obviously Emmett was in love with Kito since high school. Obviously Kito was going to find his voice and purpose by following his father’s footsteps into the main thing that tied his family together, and the writing was on the wall that Emmett and Kito would end up together. I wasn’t expecting the assumed assault, but it ended up being something of a non-issue when the story was all told. For all the beauty of the slow burn, there just wasn’t much tension throughout the plot. And lastly, there were a few moments where the sentimentality got a little thick for me.
The reader did a GREAT job - accents, singing, near-tears delivery and all!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use and Sexual assault
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
[Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a gifted copy for review!]
Rating: 4/5 stars
Quito Cruz is forced to reconnect with his high school friend (and crush) Emmett Aoki when Quito’s father insists the two perform together in his retirement concert.
I chose to listen to this one on audio and I am SO glad I did because the audio production was one of my favorites of all time. The narration was phenomenal, and because it is narrated by an actual Broadway actor, it also features real music and (incredible) singing, which really helped bring the story to life.
I was not necessarily expecting the emotional gut punch that this book had, but, yes, I definitely cried. Even though I don’t share any of the “main” characteristics of the MCs (I’m straight, I’m white, I’m a woman, etc) I still found so many aspects of the story to be relatable, and I really really loved the characters and the message it delivered. If this one sounds good to you, I wholeheartedly recommend it (especially on audio!)
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: second chance romance; dynamic audiobooks; books about music/theater
CW: Death of parent; grief; mentions of sexual assault
Rating: 4/5 stars
Quito Cruz is forced to reconnect with his high school friend (and crush) Emmett Aoki when Quito’s father insists the two perform together in his retirement concert.
I chose to listen to this one on audio and I am SO glad I did because the audio production was one of my favorites of all time. The narration was phenomenal, and because it is narrated by an actual Broadway actor, it also features real music and (incredible) singing, which really helped bring the story to life.
I was not necessarily expecting the emotional gut punch that this book had, but, yes, I definitely cried. Even though I don’t share any of the “main” characteristics of the MCs (I’m straight, I’m white, I’m a woman, etc) I still found so many aspects of the story to be relatable, and I really really loved the characters and the message it delivered. If this one sounds good to you, I wholeheartedly recommend it (especially on audio!)
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: second chance romance; dynamic audiobooks; books about music/theater
CW: Death of parent; grief; mentions of sexual assault
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Infidelity, and Outing
sammies_shelf's review
2.0
I wanted to love this so badly that I looked past "nonconsensual sex" in the content warnings. Which is not a thing, by the way. Until the plot point came up. The tension between Quito and Emmett is set up to be based on a big misunderstanding of sorts that occurred when they were in college. I'm not going to mark this as a spoiler because I honestly haven't seen a review mention this. Quito penetrates Emmett when he thinks he's asleep. Oh, but, turns out that Emmett was ACTUALLY taking advantage of how intoxicated Quito was. Y'all, this is simply not it. I was so disappointed that this topic was handled so poorly, and then we're supposed to root for this couple! The event causing them not to speak to each other referred to for the first 213 pages could have been literally anything else.
The only relationship I could root for was between Quito and his father. His father is the most dimensional character, in my opinion.
The only relationship I could root for was between Quito and his father. His father is the most dimensional character, in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault
imstephtacular's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Rape, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Drug use, Blood, Medical content, Body shaming, Racism, Outing, Car accident, Vomit, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Death
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings: Homophobia, transphobia, outing, cheating, sexual assault, death, death of parent, toxic relationships, sexual content [not graphic but not fade to black either...kind of in the middle?], anxiety, and bullying.
***I received access to an E-Arc through the Forever Influencer program, all thoughts are my own***
OMG, how to start talking about this beautiful book. I loved that we got to see Emmett and Quito from their very first meeting to their reunion as adults.
As someone who lived in the East Bay for...almost 10 years? I loved all the bay references, when it started and they mentioned Martinez I was like, "WHAT! I LIVED THERE!" haha
I also loved all the little Filipino references, especially the lip pointing...if you know...you know haha
This was an absolutely beautiful story about love, family, found family, and acceptance. There are some tear-jerking moments, like my vision was obscured until I could get a tissue 😅
Anyways, this book came out the 6th and I highly recommend reading it 💜
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Infidelity, Outing, Death, Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Medical content
cfrazee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
REVIEW: All The Right Notes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I would watch them, during choir rehearsal, you know? Or at our house for dinner. When they would work on music together. Emmett would watch Quito. All the time. That look on his face. I’ll never forget it. As if there was no better thing in the world than to be near my son.”
This. Book. I loved it. The narrator was everything, he just brought the story to life. Have you ever loved a book so much that you can’t even put into words why? Because that’s what’s happening here.
For Fans Of:
🎶 musical theater & choir
⭐️ celebrity x non-celebrity
👨❤️👨 m/m romance
💕 friends-to-lovers second-chance romance
🏠 accepting, close family dynamic
🇵🇭 Filipino-American Rep
🎧 amazing audiobooks
I think my favorite character was Quito’s father. I love that he saw Emmett and Quito’s relationship for what it really was all the way from the beginning, and that he loved both of them enough to bring them back together 🥲
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Outing, and Death of parent
womanwill's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this queer second chance romance by Dominic Lim. The rich language and Filipino food descriptions had me drooling at parts. I absolutely loved Mr. Cruz as a meddling father, and it read as a love note to immigrant parents.
The story follows Quito, a Filipino pianist, and Emmett, a Japanese and white movie star, as they reconnect after a college fallout 20 years later. Told in alternating chapters from their meeting in high school and reconnect in modern day, I was particularly impressed with how Lim pulled off alternating flashback chapters that actually worked.
However, I do wish that what drove Quito and Emmett apart was revealed earlier and that they had discussed and processed it more together. It didn't really make sense to me that they didn't talk for 20 years. The miscommunication trope was heavy in this book, which isn't my favorite, but I think the shame and self-doubt driving the lack of communication made it more believable.
Thanks to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the e-ARC.
The story follows Quito, a Filipino pianist, and Emmett, a Japanese and white movie star, as they reconnect after a college fallout 20 years later. Told in alternating chapters from their meeting in high school and reconnect in modern day, I was particularly impressed with how Lim pulled off alternating flashback chapters that actually worked.
However, I do wish that what drove Quito and Emmett apart was revealed earlier and that they had discussed and processed it more together. It didn't really make sense to me that they didn't talk for 20 years. The miscommunication trope was heavy in this book, which isn't my favorite, but I think the shame and self-doubt driving the lack of communication made it more believable.
Thanks to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the e-ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Outing, and Blood
Minor: Car accident and Transphobia
moonjelifish's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Outing, Sexual assault, and Transphobia
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse
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