I think anyone who has read Something Wild & Wonderful knows this is, inherently, my kind of a book lol but when I tell you it really, truly was. The I think anyone who has read Something Wild & Wonderful knows this is, inherently, my kind of a book lol but when I tell you it really, truly was. The birding—being attuned to the world around you, making yourself be still, cherishing the joy of discovery—is both beautiful and fascinating, and even more enchanting in the desert landscape of Tucson. (And it made me even more excited to visit the city for the first time in a few months for their Festival of Books!)
But there were so many other things I loved about this book too: - Both MCs are older, with the female MC in particular in her 40s with a teenaged daughter who is about to graduate high school. The only other (contemporary) romance I have personally read with a similar situation in the last few years is Jess Hardy's Come As You Are, where the MC has an adult daughter. I cried a lot while reading this book, and at LEAST half of those tears were over this parenting storyline. Balancing being a parent of someone who's becoming their own person, separate from you, while you are also striving to figure out who you are, separate from just being a parent and a wife: I would read a hundred romances with this. - This is more a specific craft thing which I try to keep out of my reading/reviewing brain most of the time as I like to just enjoy books as a reader but—both characters' emotional wounds are really clear throughout and explored with compassion and care throughout. Something I'm not always great at doing in my own work so I was inspired by it. - Healthy male friendships! I loved both friendships in here (Celeste with her best friend Maria, and John with his best friend Chris)—both best friends are full characters in their own right, with their own issues and dreams even as they are incredible support systems for the MCs. But CHRIS, I loved Chris so much, and his and John's friendship even more. The love, the care. More male friendships like this everywhere please - The SEXUAL TENSION MY GOD! I was both so invested in both characters—and the chemistry between them—within the first two chapters, even though all they truly do during those first two chapters is sit on a bench and talk! Which is such a joy as a reader (and again something I admire immensely from a craft perspective). Something about when a very quiet man notices and admires the swing of a sunshine-y woman's earrings, I'm just gone lol
Anyway, this book just made me feel at home. The communication between the MCs is consistently kind and realistic, even when it isn't easy. I loved it....more
Honestly in awe of this book, both the love story it told & the way KD told it. The interweaving of timelines was so fascinating (and HEARTWRENCHING) Honestly in awe of this book, both the love story it told & the way KD told it. The interweaving of timelines was so fascinating (and HEARTWRENCHING) & the writing style just really worked for me—there were so many gorgeous passages that took my breath away, particularly in how KD was able to so expertly avoid simply telling Zach’s emotions, but expressing them reflected in the landscapes around him, whether that was the arid Arizona mountains or the lushness of the California coast or the mugginess of Miami. And Eugenio, I mean, what a dream boat. I loved the breadth of this, the different experiences & identities contained in it, and how deeply a baseball book and how deeply a romance it was simultaneously. The sex scenes were also really interestingly done, I thought. Lastly, without spoilers, I really loved the steady realism of the ending; it fit Zach’s story and the experience of queerness perfectly. ALL TO SAY: I can’t wait to read everything else KD ever writes....more
More coherent review to come in my blurb, but this was a couldn’t-put-it-down/read-almost-in-one-sitting read for me that also hit so many of my persoMore coherent review to come in my blurb, but this was a couldn’t-put-it-down/read-almost-in-one-sitting read for me that also hit so many of my personal wheelhouses: travel/road trips/photography/family. I cried so many times. A true romance novel where my heart was left a mushy happy mess. I am Upset that the world has to wait until Summer 2023 for this one but I know everyone’s going to love it....more
Loading...
