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sara_j's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
rafael_andrade's review against another edition
5.0
Cute love story and at the same time raises some important issues faced by the LGBTQ community.
I highly recommend it.
I highly recommend it.
bethanyeveleth's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. There is quite a bit of queer joy and it really deals with community and chosen family in a way that teems with self-worth and unconditional acceptance. That being said, it also deals with the trauma of lost family and grief. Not a total bubblegum read, but worthwhile nonetheless. I wouldn’t recommend for younger readers. It’s pretty spicy.
vctoriaa's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
kitkatsbookden's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
This was seriously an amazing romance. Definitely in top 5 (maybe 3!) M/M romances I've read!
lue_moon's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-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
4.75
Was not expecting to love this as much as I did! Drew me in really quickly and I finished most of it in one day. The setting and premise felt unique and I really enjoyed how Ben and Alexei each had their own journeys to go on. I related to both of them in ways I hadn't anticipated. I also really appreciated the autistic rep. It was incorporated in a way I haven't come accross before and felt very genuine.
(Not super relevant side note: the copy I read had discussion questions, one of which was "how likely it is that London talks to Schnitzel in baby talk when no one else is around"... 10/10 they absolutely do)
(Not super relevant side note: the copy I read had discussion questions, one of which was "how likely it is that London talks to Schnitzel in baby talk when no one else is around"... 10/10 they absolutely do)
sonaea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.5
Okay. I gotta say, I love the concept of this book. The characters of a book doing long-distance hiking is not something I've really seen before (maybe in All that's left in the world, but even there the focus is much less on the hiking itself as an truly essential part of the story, like it is done here). It's really unique. And I love it. It really made me wanna try something like that as well.
So. I really did enjoy it, but there were some aspects, of course, that I didn't enjoy that much.
I think the writing was kind of rough and jarring, that could have been better. Also, some of the side characters were kind of weird. It's this kind of I'm-a-bubbly-exuberant-queer-best-friend-character that appears sometimes in those kind of novels. They're mostly nonbinary and internet-famous. And don't happen to get any hate or anything. Or maybe they just don't care about it. The last time I read that exact kind of character was in "Make you mine this christmas" by Lizzie Huxley-Jones. It honestly doesn't seem realistic at all. Idk, I don't want to say that the authors don't know any nonbinary characters because how should I know, but ... it's that hip-and-confident nonbinary character trope that's ... they don't seem 3 dimensional. They seem like the only characteristic of this character is them being an enby. Idk. It just feels really weird and unrealistic.
Also, the characters fly away just to spend a week somewhere else and then come back. And they throw away food. Two things that make me immediately dislike someone. There's sex scenes but I skipped them (as I always do, so), so I can't say much about it but ... it did feel kinda wrong. Maybe that's just me, but, idk, I really don't wanna watch them having sex? It didn't really fit the book for me, but that might be a personal opinion.
I feel like a lot of character growth and realizations (mostly of Alexei, but some also of Ben) happen "off screen" (or whatever the correct word for that with books is), which I found quite sad, because that is such an essential part of who they are, what the plot was leading to, what they needed, that it felt that the book was missing something big by not showing these scenes and moments.
Also, I read the German translation, where they were using German regiolect when in the original there were US-American slang / colloquial language being used, but ... that felt really weird. A lot of translators have the issue that they don't know how and when to use authentic German regiolect, an issue I notices in the translation of Sixteen Souls, that I'm currently reading, as well. But not just has it been used weirdly, it also is a kind of a big association to a certain region in Germany. Which most certainly is not in the US. So, there's this big dissociation between the plot and characters being (in) the US, while the words they're using are obviously in German. The issue isn't really there if it's standard language that's being used, because that's not as much region bound. But as soon as there's a regional word being used, this dissonance appears.
And last but not least, that scene at the hot spring's.They are bathing and there are two naked old men coming to them and Alexei spends all the time of them being there trying not to look at their private parts?! Wth. Why? that's really rude. I only see 2 possible reasons for that behavior: 1) he's attracted to them. Which it didn't really seem like, so I think option 2 is much more likely. 2) It's some kind of repulsed-fascination. AND. Can we PLEASE stop saying that old people are repulsing? That they're not pretty anymore. That they shouldn't have (love) lives anymore? THAT'S the reason people do botox, are so scared of aging. Why? Let people age in peace. It's okay to grow old!
Okay, so that's it. It was kinda trashy, but very unique so I did still enjoy the read.
So. I really did enjoy it, but there were some aspects, of course, that I didn't enjoy that much.
I think the writing was kind of rough and jarring, that could have been better. Also, some of the side characters were kind of weird. It's this kind of I'm-a-bubbly-exuberant-queer-best-friend-character that appears sometimes in those kind of novels. They're mostly nonbinary and internet-famous. And don't happen to get any hate or anything. Or maybe they just don't care about it. The last time I read that exact kind of character was in "Make you mine this christmas" by Lizzie Huxley-Jones. It honestly doesn't seem realistic at all. Idk, I don't want to say that the authors don't know any nonbinary characters because how should I know, but ... it's that hip-and-confident nonbinary character trope that's ... they don't seem 3 dimensional. They seem like the only characteristic of this character is them being an enby. Idk. It just feels really weird and unrealistic.
Also, the characters fly away just to spend a week somewhere else and then come back. And they throw away food. Two things that make me immediately dislike someone. There's sex scenes but I skipped them (as I always do, so), so I can't say much about it but ... it did feel kinda wrong. Maybe that's just me, but, idk, I really don't wanna watch them having sex? It didn't really fit the book for me, but that might be a personal opinion.
I feel like a lot of character growth and realizations (mostly of Alexei, but some also of Ben) happen "off screen" (or whatever the correct word for that with books is), which I found quite sad, because that is such an essential part of who they are, what the plot was leading to, what they needed, that it felt that the book was missing something big by not showing these scenes and moments.
Also, I read the German translation, where they were using German regiolect when in the original there were US-American slang / colloquial language being used, but ... that felt really weird. A lot of translators have the issue that they don't know how and when to use authentic German regiolect, an issue I notices in the translation of Sixteen Souls, that I'm currently reading, as well. But not just has it been used weirdly, it also is a kind of a big association to a certain region in Germany. Which most certainly is not in the US. So, there's this big dissociation between the plot and characters being (in) the US, while the words they're using are obviously in German. The issue isn't really there if it's standard language that's being used, because that's not as much region bound. But as soon as there's a regional word being used, this dissonance appears.
And last but not least, that scene at the hot spring's.
Okay, so that's it. It was kinda trashy, but very unique so I did still enjoy the read.