A review by tristatereader
You & I, Rewritten by Chip Pons

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I wanted to love this book, I really did. But alas, it will continue to stay on my never ending list of wants. Reading You & I, Rewritten felt… disjointed. Like I was reading two different books. And to be honest, I would have loved to have read the 2nd half as a stand-alone. 

The first half of the book introduces us to Will and Graham. From the synopsis, I thought it would be a more enemies to lovers type relationship, or a grump and happy sunshine. But there was instant chemistry between the two and they quickly fell into a serious romance. And while Graham is described as cold and distant in the synopsis, I felt he was pretty warm and open while trying to maintain professionalism in the workplace (something Will seemed to struggle with).

The second half dives head first into Will’s trauma history. We’re finally introduced to his father in the most heartbreaking way. I shed a lot of tears in this part of the book. 

There were also a lot of subplots that made me… I don’t even know the word so I’m just going to say: ???. For instance, Graham acknowledges that morale is low in the office, so he bakes his employees some cookies and suddenly all is fine? What exactly was in those cookies and can I get a batch? 

MOST IMPORTANTLY, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the unprotected sex in this book. A conversation never takes place between Will and Graham regarding protection. The words condom and PrEP are no where to be seen. There’s not even a quick conversation about either of their statuses. As someone who lost a family member to AIDS, this was a very difficult piece of the book for me to ignore. It’s 2023 and being open, honest, and communicative during intimacy is sexy. 

Klair for President.