Wow. Wowowow. I definitely wasn’t expecting any part of this story. It was one I had borrowed because it was included in the lgbtq+ genre at the library, but I’d put off starting it because I had wrongly assumed it was going to be fetishy or extra heteronormative. I literally couldn’t have been more wrong and I’m SO happy I got to experience it.
I listened to the entire 15 hour audiobook in one day, and steadily cried through the last 4 hours of it, which is impressive since my meds make it hard for me to cry.

I don’t want to get too spoiler-y, but the kid comes out as non-binary halfway through, and it was handled so beautifully. I loved that we didn’t see any trauma around it and that the book flawlessly switched pronouns without any fuss. I loved hearing the narrator switch so perfectly as well (I know that’s their job but whatever)

Anyway. The summary is that a (kind of disgraced) duchess moves into this castle that her great*6 grandparents bought AGES ago and everyone in the town is resentful towards the family because of the damage that was done when they got the castle. The gardener is this sweet sweet man who was in and out of foster homes growing up, and now he is fostering this preteen.
Super healthy displays of masculinity and queerness and identities. Lots of sweet family moments and tender parenting.

God and the EPILOGUE and Aaron’s card???????? I SOBBED.