I’m so sorry. I think I’m too cynical for this kind of thing. Never mind the fact that this was already going to be a hard sell for me. I can’t stand political romances.

This is the first book I’ve read in a while that made me feel like, I don’t know, like it wasn’t written for me? Who knows. The characters are deeply annoying. Nora in particular feels like one of those early 2010’s autistic stereotypes. Just left a bad taste in my mouth. Henry is fine, but Alex? Alex made me remember why I sometimes find myself swearing only by t4t if cis boys are this obnoxiously full of themselves.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that this book reads like it wasn’t written for the mlm crowd. Like. At all. Like it’s not fetishistic. I didn’t get that kind of vibe. I don’t know man. It’s hard to pin down.

And MY GOD I don’t usually point out this kind of thing, but for this book? I gotta say it. The sex is terribly boring and milquetoast. Just the worst.

Apparently this book was marketed as being cute and fluffy and goopy and I guess I just? Didn’t get that vibe at all? If I wanted good fluffy gay romance, I’d reread The House on the Cerulean Sea. I don’t know. This just REALLY didn’t do it for me. And that’s okay! That’s cool.

The ending made me feel deeply cynical and like a bitter old man. The politics of it all made me want to tear my hair out and scream into the void.

(Listened to the audiobook by Ramon de Ocampo, who did a good job… albeit his English accent left a bit to be desired. But at least he managed to somehow enunciate a keysmash. No small feat.)