I had very high expectations for this after how much I loved Blacktop Wasteland & this didn't disappoint one bit - in fact, it blew all of my expectations out of the water.

S.A. Cosby is such a beautiful writer, he draws you in right from the start & doesn't let up once. I loved that we got an equal balance of chapters that focused both Ike & Buddy Lee (& the villains), both men were excellent protagonists & made one hell of a team. The pacing was fantastic, as was the central mystery at hand - so much was done right in this book & there's a ton of topics to unpack, but the one thing I really want to focus on is how Cosby handled such sensitive & touchy subject matter so gracefully. If you've ever experienced queerphobia from your parent(s) or parental figure(s), this will hit you hard. There are plenty of tough scenes to read, but they are purposeful - the overall arc of Ike & Buddy Lee had me in tears more than once, getting to see them shed their past beliefs & grow as both fathers & men was very powerful. I didn't expect this to hit me as hard as it did, but it's a true testament to what an incredible storyteller Cosby is.

I think this just might be my favorite book of the year thus far - run, don't walk, to get this on your shelves! & thank you so much to Flatiron Books for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review!