Ryan Loveless

This book turned me into a total sap. I admit, it does happen on rare occasions and this pulled out all the stops.

Now I'm not saying this was perfect. The setup and the harsh reality of both Carter and Ethan's lives looms over them like a cloud, and at times it was quite discomforting. However, it was still just so lovely to see their relationship evolve, and how despite their limitations and disabilities, they found happiness in one another.

What stood out for me of course was Ethan. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he can't not be straightforward in his wants and needs. There's no artifice in how he interprets things, nor how he presents himself to the world. It was oddly refreshing and endearing and bittersweet, especially since this was due to a tragic accident - a situation that he still struggled with daily, despite overcoming many obstacles.

So basically, this was really just a great story about two easily misunderstood and underestimated guys, who bring out the best in each other. Utterly sweet, heart warming (and heart breaking), this hit the spot for some fantastic feel-good sentimentality.… (mais)

Visti i temi che tratta (e che sono il motivo per il quale ho comprato e letto questo romanzo), mi dispiace molto non scrivere una recensione entusiasta di Ethan che amava Carter, soprattutto per l’importanza che queste storie hanno per chi non si vede mai, o solo raramente, rappresentatə.

Infatti, entrambi i protagonisti sono neurodiversi: Carter ha la sindrome di Tourette, mentre Ethan ha subito una lesione cerebrale traumatica in seguito a un incidente. Non ho niente di cui lamentarmi del modo in cui sono rappresentate queste due neurodiversità: l’autrice stessa ha la sindrome di Tourette e mi è sembrato che si fosse ben documentata anche per le lesioni cerebrali traumatiche.

Ho molto da lamentarmi, invece, del modo in cui Loveless ha sviluppato il rapporto tra Ethan e Carter. O forse sarebbe meglio scrivessi come non lo ha sviluppato, considerando che rimane invariato dall’inizio alla fine del romanzo. Infatti, dalla prima volta che si incontrano fino all’ultima pagina, Ethan e Carter rimangono invariati e così la loro relazione, che tra l’altro sembra nascere dal nulla. Inoltre, nonostante il romanzo copra una linea temporale abbastanza lunga, si ha la sensazione che tutto accada nell’arco di pochi giorni e che siano del tutto insufficienti per costruire un rapporto profondo.

Infine, mi lamenterò del fatto che Ethan che amava Carter è troppo romantico per i miei gusti aromantici: ovviamente, questa è una mia personale sensibilità, ma, se li condividete con me, sappiate che in questo romanzo scorrono fiumi di miele...… (mais)

Connor Adams and Sam Henning are best friends and fellow musicians who find themselves often mistaken for a couple. They usually just let it go--Connor is married and Sam has a boyfriend--but when they find themselves cornered by three intimidating men spouting homophobic taunts, that might not be an option. They come out on the other side with Sam shot and unconscious and one of their attackers dead while Connor has no memory of what happened. With all signs pointing to Connor shooting the perpetrator, while he was walking away, and no evidence to contradict that narrative, Connor soon finds himself facing criminal charges and serious prison time. As traumatic as that one night turned out to be, it's just the beginning in the trials that Connor, Sam, and Connor's wife, Kelly, will only be able to get through if they can do it together.

I had a visceral (not necessarily negative) reaction to much of the early part of this book. Imagine being cornered into a life-or-death situation only to come out on the other side alive but with no memory of what happened and facing the reality that you're still in danger of losing your life in a completely different way. And the system is not good to Connor. Not at all. I found that the second half the book seemed to drag, though, in comparison since it did not possess the intensity that the early book carried with it. Overall, though, this is a thought-provoking read that goes off the beaten path in a number of interesting ways. And it's worth the read.… (mais)

I am having a real hard time deciding how to rate this. I am going by what the stars actually say...it was OK. I can't say I truly liked it to bump it to 3 stars, but I do have to say that it was very well written. Ms. Loveless is a very good author.
The story just didn't sit with me and annoyed me more than I enjoyed it. This was not a true romance story even though the last line of the blurb leads you to think it is. Yes, this is a story about Sam and Connor and Kelly and what brings them together, but that doesn't happen until 2/3 through the book. The majority of the book is Connor in jail. I ended up skimming most of those chapters because, yes, that is an important piece of what makes Connor who he is and what helps Sam and Kelly get close, but it could have been a LOT shorter and focused more on the relationship, which after pages of miserable jail, felt very rushed. Also, I had an issue with how Connor and Sam got together. They are friends for so long with no sexual activity. Connor is married, Sam has a boyfriend. All of a sudden, Connor gets drunk and is kissing Sam before they get ambushed. OK...so far so good except for the cheating. Then, Connor loves his wife very much but can't feel romantic in a conjugal visit because it seems weird, but then Sam comes to visit and the man he has never been with nor had a real conversation with about any romantic feelings is all of a sudden having sex in a conjugal visit. Huh???
It just didn't resonate with me.… (mais)