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domiri 's review for:

Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey
5.0
emotional lighthearted slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Alexander Price is the youngest NHL captain ever at 19 and seems to meet all the stereotypes associated with that title. Elijah Rodriguez is a cooking vlogger and a skating vlogger who's Olympic plans have been derailed by an accident that have left seizures a constant presence in his life. Their meet cute is Alex double parking across the rink's only two handicap spots. The two of them shouldn't want anything to do with the other but unexpectedly hit it off, much to the joy of the internet. The problem with their deepening feelings is that Alex isn't willing to come out and Eli has not intention of going back in the closet.

This reads very somewhere between slice of life and romcom, and is definitely YA. Even though several serious subjects are tackled on page, everything is handled with lightheartedness and the author presents an optimistic world where even someone who seems like they'll be terrible isn't actually 
there is a character who says some homophonic stuff, but he gets a POV chapter and turns out to be uninformed but capable of learning


Overall, the entire cast is very loveable and the story is gentle while still exploring things like anxiety disorders and disability. I'm very interested to see how the series, and Alex and Eli's relationship progresses in the next book.