Scan barcode
A review by kindlemmromancereader
Meet Me in the Blue by A.M. Johnson
5.0
***ARC Review***
This is my honest review for the ARC I received.
Y’all, this book is beautiful. It’s truly lovely. It focuses heavily on emotions and I was 100% here for it. So much so, that I read it twice!
Luka and Rook have been best friends since they were 9 years old. Present day, both MCs are in their early 30s and it has been five years since they’ve last spoken. Luka’s dad is ill, so Luka returns to Hemlock Harbor to mend fences with his family and former best friend, Rook.
Other than going off to college, Rook has stayed close to his hometown of Hemlock Harbor. He is a certified nurse-midwife at his dad’s medical practice. Hemlock Harbor is comforting Its familiar. It’s home. Rook sees no reason to leave. The only downside is people trying to set him up with a local girl named Stacey.
Luka is a photographer. He thinks he’s failed at life and is too ashamed to admit it to his loved ones. Johnson reveals the real reason Luka stayed away for so long. A conversation is definitely long overdue between Luka and Rook.
The pair have a rocky start as they reunite, but decades of friendship is hard to ignore and they naturally gravitate to one another. Plus, Rook is such an empathetic character, that he can’t find it within himself to stay mad at Luka.
Johnson highlights gray asexuality in this book. Rook’s sparse romantic interactions with women are complicated, because he does what he assumes is supposed to be done. He wonders why he isn’t like most guys. The next steps don’t necessarily feel good or natural. Just so-so. During a conversation with his friend Ron, Rook begins to identify as demisexual. Johnson does an amazing job of unraveling his complex emotions in real time as he deals with his confusion about his sexuality and the realization that he may be feeling something new for Luka. Rook discovers and experiences attraction and desire for the first time with Luka.
The emotional connection between Luka and Rook is really endearing. It’s profound. These men have honest and vulnerable conversations. This book is a slow burn. The MCs share their first kiss at the 43% mark. Things get a little steamier at the 53% mark. When things do get more physical, I appreciated how Luka checked in with Rook to make sure that they weren’t rushing into things. But more than anything, I loved how genuine their affection and adoration for one another feels. It shines through in all of their interactions.
This novel, above everything else, is a love story. It’s about childhood best friends who find they way back to one another as fractured adults. It’s about two men reconciling and smoothing away any fractured edges of loneliness. It’s about acceptance and loving someone through brokenness and hard times. It’s also about grief. Both men have suffered as a result of their separation. Luka’s father (and his illness) is a big presence in the story as well. I’m glad him and Luka were able to have a bit of time together to comfort and heal. I teared up at different moments in the book, but the last page or so of the last chapter (and the epilogue) made me cry.
This is my honest review for the ARC I received.
Y’all, this book is beautiful. It’s truly lovely. It focuses heavily on emotions and I was 100% here for it. So much so, that I read it twice!
Luka and Rook have been best friends since they were 9 years old. Present day, both MCs are in their early 30s and it has been five years since they’ve last spoken. Luka’s dad is ill, so Luka returns to Hemlock Harbor to mend fences with his family and former best friend, Rook.
Other than going off to college, Rook has stayed close to his hometown of Hemlock Harbor. He is a certified nurse-midwife at his dad’s medical practice. Hemlock Harbor is comforting Its familiar. It’s home. Rook sees no reason to leave. The only downside is people trying to set him up with a local girl named Stacey.
Luka is a photographer. He thinks he’s failed at life and is too ashamed to admit it to his loved ones. Johnson reveals the real reason Luka stayed away for so long. A conversation is definitely long overdue between Luka and Rook.
The pair have a rocky start as they reunite, but decades of friendship is hard to ignore and they naturally gravitate to one another. Plus, Rook is such an empathetic character, that he can’t find it within himself to stay mad at Luka.
Johnson highlights gray asexuality in this book. Rook’s sparse romantic interactions with women are complicated, because he does what he assumes is supposed to be done. He wonders why he isn’t like most guys. The next steps don’t necessarily feel good or natural. Just so-so. During a conversation with his friend Ron, Rook begins to identify as demisexual. Johnson does an amazing job of unraveling his complex emotions in real time as he deals with his confusion about his sexuality and the realization that he may be feeling something new for Luka. Rook discovers and experiences attraction and desire for the first time with Luka.
The emotional connection between Luka and Rook is really endearing. It’s profound. These men have honest and vulnerable conversations. This book is a slow burn. The MCs share their first kiss at the 43% mark. Things get a little steamier at the 53% mark. When things do get more physical, I appreciated how Luka checked in with Rook to make sure that they weren’t rushing into things. But more than anything, I loved how genuine their affection and adoration for one another feels. It shines through in all of their interactions.
This novel, above everything else, is a love story. It’s about childhood best friends who find they way back to one another as fractured adults. It’s about two men reconciling and smoothing away any fractured edges of loneliness. It’s about acceptance and loving someone through brokenness and hard times. It’s also about grief. Both men have suffered as a result of their separation. Luka’s father (and his illness) is a big presence in the story as well. I’m glad him and Luka were able to have a bit of time together to comfort and heal. I teared up at different moments in the book, but the last page or so of the last chapter (and the epilogue) made me cry.