9/14: I have really struggled to write this review because I have SO much I want to say but I know I can't. I actually sat down and wrote a 5,000 word 9/14: I have really struggled to write this review because I have SO much I want to say but I know I can't. I actually sat down and wrote a 5,000 word review addressing all the things that had come to my mind while reading. I won't subject you to that. But it helped me to get all those thoughts out. Now that I've had time to let it settle, I can write a review.
So if I'm going to JUST review the book, and not its portrayal of the Mormon religion, I'd probably say 4 stars, actually. If you're not Mormon then all the doctrinal stuff might get heavy and boring. For me, it was all stuff I'm very familiar with, stuff I've known my whole life so it actually made the story more interesting to me. In the same way that it's fun to read books set in the area where you live, or books that are about something you know a lot about.
The romance was cute, but the book is about the relationship between homosexuality and organized religion so it's really not the main focus. I barely noticed that the sex wasn't on-page. I keep reading that in people's reviews and I'm like, it wasn't? It seemed like there was plenty of sex to me. (Then again, the Mormon part of me was so appalled by what they were doing ON THEIR MISSIONS, I think that what in any other book would have been a tame, mostly off-page love scene was totally scandalous for me.)
But I can't review the book without reviewing its portrayal of the Mormon religion. That's the whole point of the book, and the whole point of me reading it. So this is where I struggle, because truthfully, it's not inaccurate. But it's also not quite right.
The truth is, there are members like Adam, who have been raised with such a strict view of things, and who have been entrenched in the culture to the point that they can't differentiate between it and the doctrine. And the truth is there are members like Adam's dad, who see things in such strict black and white terms and totally miss the point of the gospel, which is to love each other and to just try to do a little better every day. So in using Adam and his dad as the window through which the reader sees the church.... it's not inaccurate because unfortunately, that is the way some people see and experience it.
But it is inaccurate as far as that's not actually what the church is about. I experienced a lot of frustration with Adam, and a lot of disgust with his father while reading this. They are not good representatives of the faith. Adam just absolutely does not "get it", which made me sad.
So what I really want to get across to non-Mormon people who read this book is that Adam’s dad, and Adam’s own understanding of the gospel are not representative of what the church is actually about. They are examples of people who have been raised in a culture but don’t actually understand what they believe. It’s an accurate portrayal of that kind of person, but not of the Church or its membership as a whole.
My 5,000 word frenzy got into a lot of detail about specific points I wanted to clarify. I'm going to skip that, and just say that if you have questions, if anything in this book in particular stuck out to you, please ask me! I'd be happy to go in depth on whatever you might be curious about. Consider the comments of this review an open space for discussion.
For now, there's just one specific thing that I do still want to address.
There was so much in this book that either implied or directly stated that Mormons are taught to never question anything. THAT IS NOT TRUE.
I’m sure there are members who don’t get it at all who tell their kids that asking questions means they don’t have faith, and that they shouldn’t question their leaders and they should just be blindly obedient. But that’s not what the Church teaches. Members are encouraged to gain a personal testimony of every single thing we’re ever taught. We’re to pray, and study the scriptures and find out for ourselves if we believe that something is from God. We are not taught to be blindly obedient. We are taught to have faith, and I suppose that can be confusing for some.
My understanding of faith is something that has really grown and evolved over the last few years as I continue to study and learn. There are things in the church that I don’t understand, that I struggle with and have to take on faith. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong for me to question them. It would be wrong for me to start teaching everyone in my ward that a certain piece of doctrine is wrong because I don’t like it and try to lead others away. But it’s not wrong for me myself to question things, or to ask those questions publicly.
So many times in this book, Brandon and Adam would have a conversation about a question one of them had and Adam would feel guilty. That is NOT of the Lord. I have conversations like that with my family all the time. Sometimes they have insights that are really helpful to me and I gain a better understanding of the thing I was questioning. Sometimes they say “Huh, I hadn’t thought of that” and we discuss but don’t ever come to a final conclusion. That’s a good thing. Questioning is NOT discouraged in this church. We are NOT taught to have blind faith. Any member who thinks we are is operating under a gross misunderstanding.
The final thing I want to say: There is another review of this book that says that Adam and Brandon actually "talk to Heavenly Father" during sex. This is not accurate - what they actually do is jokingly quote scripture to each other. I'm not saying that's not weird, it's just not quite the same thing. Not a big deal, but I commented on that person's review to clarify the misunderstanding and my comment was then deleted and that reviewer blocked me. I was not being argumentative at all. When I realized I had been blocked, I was completely shocked. And also amused. I mostly think it's funny, but I'll admit it bugs me a little bit because it seems so unfair. I wanted other readers to know so they can make an informed choice.
And one more final thing: The author makes a big point of establishing her "Mormon cred" in this book so that you'll trust that she knows what she's talking about. If you want to know mine, check out this blog post I wrote a few years ago: http://imamoliberal.blogspot.com/2013....
I haven't updated that blog in a long time, mostly because no one gave a crap and it didn't ever start the dialogue I was hoping for so I got bored. But if you're curious it might answer some questions.
9/4: I feel like as an active Mormon - not an angry ex-Mormon but an actual every day, church-going Mormon who believes the gospel with her whole heart - I owe it to the community to read and review this book. Because I'm also a staunch LGBTQIA ally and lover of the m/m romance genre. My "cred" as both is substantial. AMA.
It makes me very nervous to read this. I have a feeling it will upset me. But I feel a responsibility to read it so I can give a more un-biased view. My gut tells me there are inaccuracies here and that my church isn't painted in the best light, which tends to happen when being presented by people who don't truly understand it. I get that - I didn't understand it for awhile. In fact, I spent many years away from the church because I didn't understand it, but I'm so grateful for the events in my life that brought me back.
So I will read this, and I will deal with all the emotions it gives me and then I'll report back....more
I ended up enjoying this a lot, but it took me way too long to get into it so I couldn't give it a full four stars.
It's got everything you lo3.5 stars
I ended up enjoying this a lot, but it took me way too long to get into it so I couldn't give it a full four stars.
It's got everything you love about Anyta Sunday - excellent banter and humor, an adorable and believable slow burn, and a very satisfying ending. I just didn't fall in love with Percy and Cal the way I did with Theo and Jamie. Oh well.
Also, I have to admit it bugs me a little that these books are set in the U.S. The dialogue is SO not U.S. English. I wish she had set it in New Zealand and then I wouldn't be pulled out of the story every time they said something an American just wouldn't say. Like "cheeky." I LOVE the word cheeky, but ppl in the U.S. just don't use it. We don't say "cheeky" here. Sorry. And we don't have lamb kebabs at 4th of July barbecues. Or "onion rolls". I don't even know what an onion roll is. And what on earth is a wheeled basket? They went to the grocery store and couldn't find a cart so they used "wheeled baskets" instead. IDK. The baskets at my grocery store sure don't have wheels. There were a lot of little things like that that added up....more
This was a very sweet and cute feel-good story. It doesn't delve super deep or get very angsty, there's no internal conflict in the relationship and tThis was a very sweet and cute feel-good story. It doesn't delve super deep or get very angsty, there's no internal conflict in the relationship and the secondary characters have a tendency to lean towards cliche. And yet none of that matters. This book is like eating cookie dough out of the tub, or re-watching your favorite rom-com for the 30th time. It's a comfort read. I dare you not to smile when reading this....more
Oh my god. I read this book when I was young. Not sure when exactly, probably somewhere between the ages of 11 and 14. This book F'd me up. Really, reOh my god. I read this book when I was young. Not sure when exactly, probably somewhere between the ages of 11 and 14. This book F'd me up. Really, really, really awful shit.
ETA: I see it was published in 1995 so I had to have been at least 13. ...more
I read this as a kid. More than once I think. Didn't everyone? Why was this so popular?I read this as a kid. More than once I think. Didn't everyone? Why was this so popular?...more
I'm so glad they put this on Kindle Unlimited! It wasn't on KU at first, and I was intrigued by it but not willing to take the risk on a new4.5 stars.
I'm so glad they put this on Kindle Unlimited! It wasn't on KU at first, and I was intrigued by it but not willing to take the risk on a new-to-me author. Especially an author who's already an established het romance writer - most reviews will be by fans of the author, and it's really hard to trust reviews of m/m books written by people who've never read one before.
So anyhoo. I loved this book!
This is an out-for-you story, which I have conflicting feelings about. On the one hand, I'm kind of bored with that trope. The self-loathing I'm not gay internal monologue is exhausting. I'm over it. But on the other hand...it's such an intrinsically romantic trope. The idea that the feelings you have for someone can transcend everything, including things you've believed about yourself your whole life, social expectations, all your best laid plans. Love trumps all. That is very appealing to me. So basically it just comes down to how well it's written. Sometimes it's a frustrating slog, and other times, achingly romantic. This was one of the latter. :)
Fair warning: Derek is a frustrating character, and Maxim doesn't deserve the way Derek treats him at times. But ultimately you could see how hard it was for Derek, and he really did go through a lot of changes in a short amount of time. Maxim was perhaps too patient with him, but I think he knew Derek was worth it. You might experience some anger moments reading this book but it didn't bother me too much. It was always clear that Derek really cared for Maxim. And he makes up for it in the end. :)
It was a good story. I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the narrators of the audiobook. But I come away from it with one main thought: where was the twist?
AIt was a good story. I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the narrators of the audiobook. But I come away from it with one main thought: where was the twist?
All the reviews talked about this big twist at the end, but I have to be honest, I had it figured out waaaaay earlier. And I'm not one of those people who always figures out the end. I'm pretty easy to fleece, honestly, so if I can see it coming a mile away, it surprises me that everyone didn't.
So...it's a good book but I was a little disappointed. I really wanted that jaw dropping moment but it never came....more
I waited for this book for months. All the advanced reviews were glowing. It was almost inevitable that I'd be disappointed, right?
Well I wasn't. It wI waited for this book for months. All the advanced reviews were glowing. It was almost inevitable that I'd be disappointed, right?
Well I wasn't. It was everything I hoped it would be. I loved this book! I read it in one day, so now I have to go back and re-read. The second half, at least.
I wish I had some eloquent, articulate, well-thought-out review for you guys but all I have is my glowy feelz. Sorry....more
I think this was actually my first Nash Summers book. I liked it a lot!
It's been awhile since I read an epic slow burn like this. It was nice. I thougI think this was actually my first Nash Summers book. I liked it a lot!
It's been awhile since I read an epic slow burn like this. It was nice. I thought the subject matter was handled very well. This is all in the blurb, so I'm not going to spoiler tag this. The basic premise is that Archer is grieving the loss of his parents, and then falls for his best friend's Dad. My first thought when reading that was that it all sounded rather Freudian, but it was very clear in the story that Archer did not see Mallory as a replacement dad. Nash did a great job of showing the true connection between the characters. It wasn't just a relationship based on mutual grief, or anything dysfunctional like that. Their connection was real. I appreciated that.
My only real complaint is just confusion because Mallory's (and his son Danny's) last name is Patel, which is an Indian name but there is no indication that Mallory or Danny are of Indian descent. To be fair, there's no real indication that they aren't necessarily, although Mallory's eyes are described as blue. But this was confusing to me, just because it made it difficult for me to visualize those characters.
Otherwise, very engaging (and sometimes heartbreaking) May/December romance....more
This one caught me by surprise. I was slightly underwhelmed by the previous book and didn't particularly care one way or another about these characterThis one caught me by surprise. I was slightly underwhelmed by the previous book and didn't particularly care one way or another about these characters so I wasn't sure I was even going to read this book. I ended up picking it up on a whim, and wow. The first 2/3 are good, but the end is what really sold me. These two really earned their HEA. I actually teared up a little (view spoiler)[when Ben told Maddox that he was proud of him for pursuing his dreams. (hide spoiler)] And I NEVER tear up over books.
Annabeth Albert is definitely becoming an auto-buy....more
Better than the previous book, not as good as the first two. Too much drama for me. I'm going to sound like a crusty old man yelling at kids 3.5 stars
Better than the previous book, not as good as the first two. Too much drama for me. I'm going to sound like a crusty old man yelling at kids to get off my lawn, but like.... these are young kids in their twenties who have way too much money and have never had a real job. I want to smack them and tell them to grow up most of the time.
So I get what she was doing with this book. Truth is subjective. Nothing is black and white, there are always a bunch of Blah blah blah blah blah.....
So I get what she was doing with this book. Truth is subjective. Nothing is black and white, there are always a bunch of different factors. People aren't all good or all bad. It's impossible to ever really pin anything down to one specific cause, or to really ever know the whole truth.
But she used WAY too many words to get there. She wasn't telling a story. She was letting everyone know that she's a WRITER. "I'm a writer, you guys!" she basically screamed on every page. Uck.
The story of the actual murder takes up about one chapter. The rest, you keep waiting for some sort of twist, some sort of connection, some sort of SOMETHING that never comes. It's just blah blah blah....more
Mostly just sex which I skip these days. There's a somewhat cute love story underneath it, though.Mostly just sex which I skip these days. There's a somewhat cute love story underneath it, though....more
As usual, Keira Andrews hits it out of the park. This book had a lot of moving parts and they all fit together flawlessly. I especially loved the occaAs usual, Keira Andrews hits it out of the park. This book had a lot of moving parts and they all fit together flawlessly. I especially loved the occasional passage from Maggie's POV. Really strengthened the story. My only real complaint would be that (view spoiler)[I felt like the last chapter and epilogue, Jason was a completely different character. It just seemed like he changed way too much/quickly. I would have appreciated a little more of his POV at the end. (hide spoiler)]
Oh, and (view spoiler)[it was odd how Jason started to mend things with his parents and brother, and then right when they were at a place to really start working on healing the rift, he moved COMPLETELY across the country, and there was no mention after that of his family. How do you build/heal a relationship like that when you're 3,000 miles apart? I'll assume that since his parents are rich they flew out to Cali a lot but I would have liked a little mention of this at the end. It seemed like a little bit of a loose end. (hide spoiler)]
This book was especially close to my heart because I'm from Montana. I was born in Kalispell and grew up an hour south of there. Montana is very rural, so many a Saturday was spent driving up to Kalispell to go to the mall or see a movie that wasn't playing locally or whatever. And Glacier - I've been to Glacier a few times recreationally, but my biggest memory is road trips. We had to drive through Glacier to visit my dad's family in Canada, and we always took Going to the Sun Road. The emotion I most closely associate with that drive is sheer terror - that road is Super High you guys. And there's no guard rail. But it's also stunningly beautiful, with random little waterfalls here and there and plenty of places to pull to the side and get out and experience it. I wish I had some pictures; I would insert them here but apparently I didn't scan those ones. I'll have to look for some next time I visit my parents.
Anyhoo, my point is the setting of the book was close to home for me, which added an extra layer of warm fuzzies to an already great story. Keira Andrews knows what she's doing....more
I loved this sweet story of life long love and forgiveness. Really the story of Marco learning to forgive, learning to accept himself, learning to be I loved this sweet story of life long love and forgiveness. Really the story of Marco learning to forgive, learning to accept himself, learning to be open about who he is and not ashamed. He overcame a lot in order to be able to share himself with Oskar. A well-earned HEA....more
A very well-written memoir about a period of difficult trial. I've been a casual fan of tig's for years. I saw her live probably a year before all thiA very well-written memoir about a period of difficult trial. I've been a casual fan of tig's for years. I saw her live probably a year before all this happened and was somewhat aware of what was going on throughout. I very much appreciate her candor and openness about sharing her story. ...more
Nichole (DirrtyH)
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