Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

“You okay?” “I think so.” A more accurate response would have been clinically alive but dead inside, but that probably wasn’t appropriate with strangers.

I’m not quite sure how Sophia Soames does it, but she has somehow made a book with very heavy themes and contents feel hopeful and uplifting. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t difficult or uncomfortable to read at times, because it was, but I ended the book with a smile on my face and laughed out loud several times while reading. Her writing style is so witty and refreshingly real. That realness also means you feel the angst and characters’ turmoil in a different way than a lot of other books, but it is so worth it.

I wasn’t after sex or whatever else people did in relationships. I wanted hugs, affection, someone to love me back.

I loved Hugo, but Benjamin unexpectedly stole the show for me. He looks like the biggest grump, but that man is 100% marshmallow and sweetness. He loves taking care of his loved ones, and he deserves all the best in the world. There is (of course) a lot of focus on Hugo and his story, but Ben has some intense trauma in his past as well. I wanted to give them both massive hugs.

I’m not going to speak on behalf of ace/grey people, but I thought that part of the book was handled really well. I liked how it wasn’t this black and white, definitive thing, but something they talked about, and they had to figure out what would work for them.

“Then we will just…be us. There are no rules saying we can’t be boyfriends and just sleep, cuddle and kiss.”

Definitely take a peek at the list of content warnings, as there is a few scenes that are full on, not at all romanticized or glossed over, so take care of yourself first and foremost while reading. If you feel comfortable to read it though, please do. It’s a beautiful, well-written story.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Ace/grey MC
Slow burn
Former athlete
Coworkers
All the cuddles
Hurt/comfort
Forced proximity
Past trauma
Recovery from eating disorder

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Eating disorder
Graphic abuse
Domestic abuse
Rape (on page, past and present)
Physical, emotional, and verbal abuse (on page)
Past traumatic injury (detailed)
MC with brain injury
Implied cheating (not between MCs)
Obsessive thoughts
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Drug use (side character, off page)
Injured MC
Hospitalization
Hospitalization related to eating disorder (off page, present)

*Disclaimer: None of the abuse occurs between main characters.

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other man/other woman drama: No. Ben has a codependent (and cuddly) relationship with his best friend, but there’s no drama.
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: N/A
Main characters’ age: 41 and 30
Pages: 270

It was called attraction, and I hadn’t felt it for years. Which was strange, but then this was my Ben, who held my hand and fed me and looked after me and said things that made me all warm on the inside and kissed my forehead and hugged me.



You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?igsh=MWZ3azhkdDc2Y2ludg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr