Book review: Ah, that ending. So worth reading again!!!

ARC review:

I read the last line, smiling and in tears (which you'd think would be common for romances, but it really is not), and then had to wander away for minutes before I could write this.

Now, I realize how like a really great song the novel is. I wish that had occurred to me while I was reading it. Each character is beautiful - this IS Roan Parrish, after all - and each of our main guys has his hills to climb and quicksand to escape. But once they make a connection, as stressed as it gets, it is fiercely strong. That is the single most gorgeous part of the story.

The ARC was wonderfully formatted and nearly error-free. Joy! And now I get to read the novel as it appears in the wild - and I rarely re-read these days. Yes read this one! ( )

Wow. This book was beautifully written and I’m feeling overwhelmed by the feelings it evoked in me.

Theo is a popular reluctant rockstar who doesn’t understand why he is so popular and can’t believe that he is deserving of being loved. Caleb is a former musician who is one year out of rehab, trying to get his life back together . When these two meet, sparks fly and from their first meeting, it’s so inevitable that they have to be together.

The character development is great in this book. The journey of Theo realizing what he wants from his life and Caleb trusting himself to dream of a future are amazingly written. Their internal struggles are very realistic and it was good to see them follow their own paths and find a way back to each other every time they separate. Their love story is absolutely beautiful and I was rooting for them from the get go. They also take time getting to know each other and it was wonderful watching them grow together.

The book is also full of musical terminology, aspects of creating music, the way Theo and Caleb visualize and feel their way through their writing process - it’s qll very enthralling and I wished I knew more about music. I think the author did a great job incorporating the intricacies of creating music as well as the negative affects the fame can have on a musician. Theo and Caleb’s struggles were very different and the author handled them each in a very individual way.

Overall, this book was a great experience and I would definitely reread it in the future. ( )

I loved Caleb and admired his strength, but I was unsure about Theo. Most of the time I was under the impression he needed a therapist more than anything else and that he was forming an unhealthy attachment to Caleb because of his issues. It all worked out in the end, but I've spent the whole book wondering which way Theo will go as a character and feeling uncomfortable about it.
( )

This book that may not be for everyone. Not even die hard romance lovers as it involves a same sex couple. I don't want anyone to be surprised or offended when finding this out. I did find it was good to know that you didn't have to be a fan of the rock scene or 17 years old, to appreciate or understand the music. These people genuinely loved their music and treated it as a part of their very hearts and souls.. What is beautiful foremost about this book is the way the author…Roan Parrish…writes about the music and the guys that play it. If music could morph into a solid material it would literally roll off the pages when she describes it. Not all of the story can be described as "beautiful'...But it is hopeful. Throughout the novel, we get to watch these messy, broken men find pieces of themselves they didn’t even recognize were even missing…and we see them become stronger individuals. Parrish also did an incredible job with Caleb’s addictions and accurately depicting the ways addictions can rule a life, even when sobriety is achieved. They’re always around the corner waiting. Caleb’s struggles to resist were both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time…but with Theo he had a second chance. I love the last paragraph and line that described them listening to the song that Theo wrote for Caleb. “The song that gathered inside me, that I had held inside all these months…the song that told him all the things he already knew, but in the language we both felt deeper than words.” ( )

This review has sat blank before me for a while. This book felt deeply personal, funny, stilted at times..but for me, it was upstaged by a secondary character. And the reasons are personal things you may not give a shit about. But this is my review.

"Do not quote AA to me, you absolute fucker."

The romance was good, it was touching. Sometimes I cried a little. In this case though, I've been Rhys, who is neither hero. He's a secondary character.

There were so many times, having already separated us by eleven billion emotional miles (mine, not his), the addict in my life would call me sobbing, needing me. Every time I looked at him, I knew he was my sorrow and I was his hope. I would do whatever I needed to to keep him safe, but what I had done & did do had forever broken us. And so had what he had done. I knew we loved each other, and forever would, and that never ever was I going to be his person again. So, for whatever reason, I felt like Rhys and Caleb was an incredibly compelling, heartfelt dynamic. I understood how Rhys loved him exactly. I understood the triumph Rhys can feel even though you know he's a little heartbroken (though moved on).

"You really fucked up."
"What the hell do I do?"
"Uh. Well you know I'm not much for grand gestures, but you should probably apologize for being a massive blockhead. And--I dunno--maybe consider telling him you love him back.

I just started at him, my mind a blank. Rhys face-palmed and glared at me. Then he grabbed the bag of chips we'd been eating.

"You don't even deserve these, I'm taking them with me."


And then Rhys leaves him his shoes (but not the chips), and it's so intensely beautiful piece of love and friendship along w/ self-preservation. I could've read about them, nand Rhys and Mathew, and though I did really enjoy the romance between Caleb and Theo, it didn't feel as central for me as that enduring friendship. YMMV.

I have to tip my hat to Roan Parrish, because I assume she used material from one of my favorite This American Life episodes how personal enduring beliefs can be wrong--and the moment you realize they are incorrect. (SUCH A GOOD EPISODE) Here is was the belief that unicorns were extinct, and had existed once.