A review by enayqueerbooklover
Up in Flames by Eden Finley, Saxon James

emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book gave me a lot of laughs as I always expect from an Eden Finley/Saxon James book, but also an unexpected depth of trauma & emotion that isn’t usually there. So much more complex, nuanced and angsty than usual, and it really moved me. It’s next-level writing from this pair.

Swoon /5 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Angst /5 🥺🥺🥺🥺
Steam /5 ♨️♨️♨️♨️
Plot /5 🧐🧐🧐🧐
LOLs /5 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭

Paramedic Remy is abandoned at the wedding altar by his fiancé Eman. Eman’s head groomsman, firefighter Sanden, is left to break the news to Remy, complicated by the fact that Sanden has had feelings for Remy for years. He’s also realistic about Eman’s personality, and suspects he hasn’t been treating Remy well for a while. When Remy is understandably devastated, Sanden offers to go on the honeymoon with Remy, to keep him company & help take his mind off it. This part is typical Finley/James writing - hilarious banter, lots of LOL moments, fun & flirty with s3xy times.

When they return home, the book takes a turn to an emotionally deeper, heavier read. We discover that Eman is emotionally abusive & manipulative. While he’s a truly odious character, he’s brilliantly written because he actually made me cry in frustration & distress over the things he did to Remy. And while Remy has revelled in his new connection to Sanden, he realises he needs time & therapy to get over Eman. At the same time, Sanden experiences a traumatic event as a firefighter that activates PTSD from an experience when he was younger. Phew, this one is bloody tough to read too. So both Remy & Sanden have significant mental health challenges that they need to work through. The way mental health & therapy is represented in here should be given all the stars.

Thank God, there is a wonderful happy ending for Sanden & Remy. And there’s also retribution towards Eman, which I’m embarrassed to say I was gleefully hoping for. And aI have to highlight a bloody brilliant reference to one of my fave movies “Love Actually”!

Content warnings for emotional abuse & gaslighting, toxic relationship, past death of a family member, grief, and mental illness.

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