Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below. Sorry in advance about all the quotes. I couldn’t choose.

Jonty made himself smile. His first line of defence.

This book was just as fabulous as the last time I read it. I haven’t read that many books by the author, but she’s still one of my favorites. Her writing is so unique, and I don’t know anyone who writes witty dialogue like she does, without it feeling forced or unnatural. It just flows.

“Stop right there.” Jonty stopped walking and Devan sighed. “Oh, you want me to stop talking?” Jonty started walking again. “Can you?” The silence lasted no more than a few seconds.

I spent ages trying to list tropes for this book, because you can’t really boil it down to a handful of tropes. The book deals with some pretty heavy themes, both past and present, but it’s handled in a way that it doesn’t feel too dark. Jonty fights trauma and darkness with humor and snark, which creates a lot of light and funny moments for the reader, but is obviously not the best coping method. All he wants is for someone to care, to love him enough to stick around and see beyond the snarky banter.

“[…] I hope you’re good, or Gill, who owns the stables, is going to chop me up and feed me to her dogs. She has four Chihuahuas and it’ll take them ages.” Jonty whined.

Devan is the perfect counterbalance to Jonty. He grounds him when it’s needed, but also laughs with Jonty and lets him be his silly self when there’s no reason not to. Jonty also brings a lot of light and perspective to Devan’s life, which he really needs. Think ‘uptight, overworked and surly businessman meets snarky (and cockhungry) twink who goes toe to toe with him’.

Jonty squirmed as something tickled his neck. What? Not a finger. A feather. “Tell me you took that off the seagull first.”

I really think it’s one of my all-time favorite books, and is one of those that I wish everyone would read so we could all gush about it together. One of those where 5 stars doesn’t feel like enough.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Witty banter
UK setting
Age gap
Self-sucking (Jonty is very bendy)
Past trauma
Opposites attract
Snarky MC
Strangers to lovers
(Eventual) coworkers/boss-employee
Stalker (not the friendly kind)

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Stalking
MC is cheated on by an ex (past)
Near-drowning experience
Self harm (mild case, only once)
Child abuse (past)
Physical abuse (past)
Verbal abuse (past)
Side character in a long-term minimally conscious state (almost coma)
Homophobic parent
Sexual harassment (not between MCs)
Rape (past, off page)
Estranged parent with terminal cancer
Themes of abandonment
Verbal abuse (parent, on and off page)
Assault and attempted kidnapping (on page)

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: Devan was cheated on by his fiancé in the past. Said ex comes back and creates a few issues, but Devan never goes back to him, and doesn’t want to either. Someone Jonty went on a handful of dates with is stalking and harassing him.
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 25 and 35
Pages: 393

Except out on the water, nothing mattered but riding the wave. Out here he could do anything, be anyone, believe that someone out there could love him as much as he would love them.

“He’s a good boy. He deserves a good man. I don’t think that’s you.” “You know nothing about me.” Mike made a dismissive sound. “I know enough. You’ll take what you can get and you’ll be gone in less than a week. He’ll be out of your mind before you get a mile down the motorway, but he won’t forget you.”

He wanted people to look at him and think what a fit guy, rather than ah, good for him, he’s trying, bless him.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Devan asked. This Tay you mentioned? “No. Shocking, isn’t it? I’m continually amazed there aren’t guys lined up desperate to go out with me, hopefully forming an orderly queue, though a bit of a scrum might be flattering. Unfortunately, I only attract impossible men.” “Am I impossible?” “I knew you were trouble when you walked in. Hey! That would make a great song lyric, don’t you think?”


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