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A review by stephanie_inman
Leo Loves Aries by Anyta Sunday
5.0
Theo and Jamie, just wow. Easily one of my all time favorite book couples ever. We start the book with Theo and his twin sister, Leone, getting the dreaded "save the date invitation" to the wedding of their exes. Yeah, Theo's ex gf had fallen in love with Theo's sister's bf. Theo and Leone decide that they are done being sad and that it is time to get back out there, but this time they should find dates for each other.
Enter Jamie. In what turns out to be a lucky coincidence, Theo needs help with a class he is struggling with (although, Theo being an over achiever, it's more like he's not acing the class) and he wants a previous tutor from this class, Jamie to help him. He finds the current instructor boring. He looks Jamie up and e-mails him, hoping that Jamie might not remember him, as Theo is sure he didn't make the best impression on Jamie, but Jamie easily remembers Theo. Jamie says he's too busy to tutor Theo and mentions that one of the things he is busy with is that he needs to look at a place to live. Theo and Leone happen to have a room they need to rent out. Theo, being smart and enterprising, sees this as his opportunity for a win-win. Jamie gets a great place to rent, Theo gets his tutor.
Once Jamie moves in, Theo starts seeing Jamie as a friend. Theo never really thought of himself as having many friends, and we see him struggle with how exactly to navigate friendship. He also decides that maybe there could be some sparks between Leone and Jamie, thus making Jamie the perfect choice to be Leone's date for the wedding of her ex bf. Theo, while spending time with Jamie, is also working on getting Jamie and Leone together.
As the story progresses, we get to see that Theo is completely oblivious. Jamie’s flirting and feelings go completely over Theo’s head. Theo doesn’t see Jamie falling for him, but it’s clear to everyone else that he is. The slow burn leading up to these two men finding love is one of the best ever. They are funny and sweet and just fucking amazing.
Theo has only dated (and only had sex with) women in the past, however he is very open sexually. He has never actually had a partner that he feels any emotional connection with, when it comes to sex. He has always separated sex from love. The difference between Theo, however and the usual manwhore trope is that Theo also can be in a relationship, and he did love his ex, but even then he separated the love from the physical part of the relationship. (Also, I wouldn’t classify Theo as a “manwhore” as he does have hookups, but it’s not like he’s all about them. Also, we only hear that there have been a few hookups, when we meet Theo, it’s been a while for him) I loved this aspect of the book. It's something that you really don't see represented in books and there are so many people who experience this. To see Theo navigate his way through an entirely different type of relationship than he's used to was interesting.
"Gay for You" tropes are very hard to pull off, in my opinion. They can also be hella controversial (and for good reason). Anyta Sunday, however, is the QUEEN of them. Theo falls for Jamie. Full Stop. His sex has nothing to do with it. It's adorable how long it actually takes for Theo to figure it out, but once he does, he’s even more adorable (which I would have thought impossible). And this book has one of the best pay offs in the way of endings. That slow burn takes a while, but the pay off is so worth it.
Enter Jamie. In what turns out to be a lucky coincidence, Theo needs help with a class he is struggling with (although, Theo being an over achiever, it's more like he's not acing the class) and he wants a previous tutor from this class, Jamie to help him. He finds the current instructor boring. He looks Jamie up and e-mails him, hoping that Jamie might not remember him, as Theo is sure he didn't make the best impression on Jamie, but Jamie easily remembers Theo. Jamie says he's too busy to tutor Theo and mentions that one of the things he is busy with is that he needs to look at a place to live. Theo and Leone happen to have a room they need to rent out. Theo, being smart and enterprising, sees this as his opportunity for a win-win. Jamie gets a great place to rent, Theo gets his tutor.
Once Jamie moves in, Theo starts seeing Jamie as a friend. Theo never really thought of himself as having many friends, and we see him struggle with how exactly to navigate friendship. He also decides that maybe there could be some sparks between Leone and Jamie, thus making Jamie the perfect choice to be Leone's date for the wedding of her ex bf. Theo, while spending time with Jamie, is also working on getting Jamie and Leone together.
As the story progresses, we get to see that Theo is completely oblivious. Jamie’s flirting and feelings go completely over Theo’s head. Theo doesn’t see Jamie falling for him, but it’s clear to everyone else that he is. The slow burn leading up to these two men finding love is one of the best ever. They are funny and sweet and just fucking amazing.
Theo has only dated (and only had sex with) women in the past, however he is very open sexually. He has never actually had a partner that he feels any emotional connection with, when it comes to sex. He has always separated sex from love. The difference between Theo, however and the usual manwhore trope is that Theo also can be in a relationship, and he did love his ex, but even then he separated the love from the physical part of the relationship. (Also, I wouldn’t classify Theo as a “manwhore”
"Gay for You" tropes are very hard to pull off, in my opinion. They can also be hella controversial (and for good reason). Anyta Sunday, however, is the QUEEN of them. Theo falls for Jamie. Full Stop. His sex has nothing to do with it. It's adorable how long it actually takes for Theo to figure it out, but once he does, he’s even more adorable (which I would have thought impossible). And this book has one of the best pay offs in the way of endings. That slow burn takes a while, but the pay off is so worth it.