It took 5 years for me to get to this recommendation, but I finally read it! I'm glad I did. It was a good story overall, and it had me wavering between emotions of heart-eyes, annoyed, happy, super sad, and relieved. It was a rough journey for Andrew and Cormac to get to their HEA, but it was hard-fought and well deserved. I really hated Paresh for a bunch of the book, but I was surprisingly fond of him by the end. I appreciated that there was an epilogue, but I would've loved a little more of their story. I liked them together and was glad it worked out for them. ( )

This is one of those "feel good" books. By that, I mean a book that has a bit of everything you want, and one that you could just keep on reading. And when it ends, you feel good...about the book, the characters; everything just seems to fit together.

It's not angst-ridden, nor light and fluffy. There's humour, yet it isn't a comedy. The characters, all the characters are interesting, entertaining and multi-dimensional. The sex is hot, but not overwhelming. Honestly what more can I say? Actually, all there is, is to say that it's one of those books that if I want a pick-me-up re-read, this in one of the ones I'll go back to. ( )

The title of the book is attention-grabbing, but it was the description that intrigued me. This is so much more than a gay-for-you book. The characters are fully fleshed, the story is gripping, and the emotions are deep and wrenching. The genre is more erotica than erotic romance, since Andrew has other clients that play a role in his sexual journey, but the book should nevertheless appeal to romance readers. ( )

Contemporary m/m romance, and yes, the title's riffing off That Book. What it isn't is a rip-off of That Book. It's a thoughtful and well-written look at men coming to terms with their sexuality, seen through the eyes of a young actor who takes on male escort work to pay for his sister's chemotherapy, even though he's straight. The blurb for the book tells you all you need to know about the plot, and there's little point in rehashing it. It's a plot that has the potential to be very cliched, but Baggins shows what a skilled writer can do with the concept, and the book is a joy to read.

It's an m/m romance, so of course the POV character isn't straight after all. But this isn't a gay-for-you story. There's a solidly laid foundation for a character who is in deep denial about his bisexuality, and has good reason to be that way. It's Andrew's story, so we see his character grow and change the most; but there are also good portrayals of men who aren't in denial to themselves, but are closeted to their family and have different ways of coping with that. Perhaps it edges over into fairytale territory with how quickly Andrew comes to accept having gay sex without accepting that he's bi, but the story's good enough to carry it.

Be warned that it has the potential to be triggery for readers who've had to deal with cancer. Baggins doesn't dwell on the reality of living with cancer in a loved one, but doesn't gloss over it either -- the one that got me was the comment about neighbours who insist on showing their neighbourliness by just popping in to see how you are even though they're not well themselves, and infectious. But with that one caveat, thoroughly recommended. ( )

Much better than the title! This story is about Andrew, a VERY homophobic man, living in New York city, taking care of his cancer stricken sister, Marie. He's out of work, broke, near eviction, so as a last resort, he takes a job as a gay escort. This is where he meets Cormac, a deeply closeted senator from California.

From here, we follow Andrew on his journey, his realization of why he was so homophobic, and watch him come to terms with his own bisexual tendencies.

There are a few scenes that might bother some people, as even after he starts seeing Cormac, Andrew keeps working as an escort, including sex with another man, but as Cormac is perfectly aware of the situation, I didn't see this as cheating in any way.

I admit to shedding tears for these men, and enjoyed this book a lot. ( )