Wendy Qualls

A short, (156pages), story of how when it's least expected, opposites sometimes diffidently do attract, and how they can find happiness if they just let it happen. Their relationship is supposed to be temporary, but you can imagine how that turned out. These two couldn't be more different from one another. One was a military man; the other had spent years of his life in school...they don't even live in the same state.... but hey, isn't that why the Wright Brothers gave us the first thing that could actually be called an airplane. While enjoying their time together both Randall and Hunter have time to consider what they want from one another and more importantly if they are brave enough to take a leap of faith and listen to their hearts. I really enjoyed this one. The pace was perfect... their banter was smart and sexy, and in the end, though they seemed so different it was obvious they simply "worked".… (mehr)

The Trans-positive parts of this novel are great, far as this cis chick can tell after a decade of reading Trans personal tweets. The misgendering hurts, though - realistic, but awful. I loved Alexa. She is her own hero. Best character of this novel.

The first job of a writer is to engage the reader and keep them engaged. I knew 1/3 in that this wasn't a five star story for me because I kept getting bored. Not enough to quit. But enough that I kept glancing at the progress bar, and skimmed repeated internal thoughts. That's bad enough, but the rest of the reasons for single-starring this are worse.

Sterling's not realistic. The author failed to reveal how he could possibly sustain what he endured. Nor was it revealed why he would do it to begin with. A reason is given, but it is weak. We even meet Sterling's mom. Opportunity to enlighten... Nope. She's great. Yet he is a doormat?

Beyond that, how could he not have any character growth even after Dana's gone? And really, Jericho's not much better until he's pushed enough. Ultimately, I can't believe a love wherein the hard topics are never confronted long enough for solid understanding. That's cowardice, and dull in a novel. In addition to all that, the final solution is not character-driven. It happens to them. They don't bring it about.

But the trans kid parts? Good. J with Alexa? Good! Everything else needs an overhaul. In my humble opinion.… (mehr)