Iz's Reviews > Oyster

Absolutely freaking gorgeous. Hands down, one of my favourite reads of the year.
I even loved it more than "Salt", and I didn't think that was possible. Fearne Hill, the writer you are! *stands in awe* god, I feel like I've suddenly lost a limb; I never wanted to leave Nico and Éti, and their family and their friends and the small, wonderful island they live on.


Nico and Éti's romance stole my whole freaking heart and soul. It's soft and gorgeous and lovely, heart-wrenching in the best way possible, so gentle and loving and yeah, just perfect. Fearne Hill has a gift: she writes such soft and lovely stories that always feel intense and real (and you'll feel like you've been run over by a truck carrying all these pesky, pesky feels), but they also never feel like too much either. Like she states in her blurbs, she writes with a light touch, but never, ever with a halfhearted or a hurried one. I'm literally soooo in love with Fearne Hill's writing; I can't believe I still haven't devoured the whole of her backlist yet. I think I need to remedy that ASAP.

Anyway, back to "Oyster", this book was a surprise. I knew this was going to be a MF romance ( with a trans female character!!! I freaking couldn't wait *heart eyes*), but it still managed to catch me by surprise with how gentle, how warm, how lovely it was, despite it being quite angsty (mind the TWs!), and how freaking wonderful both Nico and Éti were. I was already intrigued by Nico in "Salt", but here he stole my heart. He's so great, so patient, so good, so supportive. The best partner, the best brother, the best son; and despite the fact that he goes through quite a lot of pain and grief during the duration of this novel, he still managed to stay himself: an unrepentant flirt, a hardworking farmer, a simple man, but a freaking good one. The absolute best.
And Éti! God, where do I start?! She, as well, stole my whole heart. Despite the privileges her career secures her, she's vulnerable and terrified and insecure, but also 100% unapologetically herself. She's brave and good and loud and brash, and so delightfully innocent and loving it made me want to jump into the book and smother her in pillows and blankets. I loved her sooooo, so much, and I loved how she loved football (I refuse to call it soccer, sorry to my US-friends <3) and I loved how dorky and mouthy she was, how she's not a mysterious woman AT ALL (she's a yapper!!!!! My favourite kind of woman <3 i loved that Nico loved that side of her too LOL), and yeah. I only wished we could have had a few chapters from her POV, because I was so desperate to know what went on in her head.

< “What the hell was that for?” “It was the only way I could think of shutting you up.” “Waouh.” Almost bewildered, she rubbed with her fingertips at her thoroughly kissable mouth, then gave a funny, choked laugh. “Grab my face and shut me up again. But for longer this time.” >

Nico and Éti's romance was the best thing ever. Joyful and loving and respectful, but still intense and fraught with fears and insecurities... and the best thing? The way both of them stay true to one another throughout the novel. Their relationship isn't an easy one, but it's packed with so much joy and easy love and deep care, it reads like a gentle breeze on your skin. The most perfect summer read.

< So by the time it came around to collecting the empty plates, sharing the washing up, and then collapsing onto the sofas in the sitting room, Charles beamed at Éti as if he’d found his new bezzie for life, Flor’s eyes darted between both of them like a proud mother hen, and I sat there in a haze of red wine and love for everyone, wondering how the hell I’d got so damned lucky. >

"Oyster" isn't a dark read, but it's an intense one: it tackles quite a few tough themes, from grief and loss to transphobia. But despite that, it never feels too heavy. I admit I did shed quite a few ugly tears at one point: this book is an emotional rollercoaster ride, where joy and grief, fear and love, live side by side, and despite that, it was still an absolute joy to read.

I loved seeing a few old faces (Charles and Flor <3) and I loved getting to know the La Forge family a bit more ((view spoiler)[ I can't wait to read Max's story! and their Dad's reaction to discovering who Nico's girlfriend is? Iconic, I loved him. (hide spoiler)]), and I loved the football shenanigans too. Reading this book during the Euros? I'd totally recommend. It hyped me up even more (despite Italy being knocked out *grumbles*). Also, seeing the whole La Forge family bond over football is something sooo relatable too, as I expect it is for any football-loving household: it made me smile.

Anyway, back to Nico and Éti: these two dorks stole my heart, and if I could read 1000 pages more of them being cute and in love, my heart would be satisfied.
Those last few chapters were absolute perfection: I sighed, I cried, I swooned, I laughed, then I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. I can't wait for "Vine".

TWs/CWs: close family member with cancer, grief, death of a family member, instances of transphobia, misgendering and deadnaming.

Thanks GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review.