Ben Monopoli

Fletcher Bradford is what one might call a free spirit. Aside from his best friend for years, Cara, and her boyfriend, Jamar, most of his relationships are shallow or short-lived. But when a mysterious new IT starts working at the company where Fletcher works, he is more than intrigued. And Mateo turns out to be freewheeling in some similar ways. It may well be that Fletcher has found his soulmate. But do they want the same things in life? When one is free spirited, can it ever work to be "tied down" to a single person? And does one's soulmate need to share in one's dream in order to keep the deep connection going?

On its surface, this reads quite strangely. At times, it almost seems just as aimless as the characters. The plot feels a bit like meandering down a winding path without always having an end in sight. And there are a few moments where things seem to transcend reality. But after finishing it and thinking about it some more, it hit me just how deep the messages of this book really are. It's very much about finding yourself, achieving your dreams, navigating relationships, and understanding what people leave behind in our lives after they move on.… (mehr)

On a random snow way, Vince's college roommate, Griff, to whom he hasn't spoken in years, shows up on his doorstep looking for a place to crash. Vince's quiet life is quickly turned upside down as Griff takes him on a mini-adventure and he is forced to confront the circumstances that led to him walking out of Griff's life all those years ago.

If I had to describe this in a word? Wonderful. It's one of those stories that gets you yelling at the characters in your head: "Wise up already!" And though it's not really a mystery, it was a couple unexpected twists that just seem to take everything to the right place for everyone involved. Definitely high up on my list of m/m romance recommendations.… (mehr)

After much whining and bitching I am giving this book 4 stars (ok, maybe 3.5, but it still rounds up to 4).

The last two chapters, or about 20-15% of the book, saved it for me. Somewhat. And even though I had trouble connecting with the characters and the abundance of details doing nothing for the plot drove me crazy, the writing was too good to give this book anything less than 4 stars.

I don't find this story sad, like many say. I am upset with Vince for being stuck in the past life and past love. I am upset with him and Griff for not solving problems as they came. When my bf withdrew from me, I found his dorm, stormed the attendant's barricades and went pounding on his door, demanding the explanation. But of course not everyone is brave and awesome that way. And I am upset with both of them dragging it out for so long - years! YEARS! - and making themselves (and a few readers in the process) miserable.

I realise this book is about Vince and Griff, but something more tangible in Vince/Zane department would have been nice. "I love him" is a pretty strong statement not to elaborate on it. I am worried for Zane. Considering all Vince's exes and his "loving" nature, this relationship doesn't seem stable enough to last. IMHO. … (mehr)