“Whether it came down to nature or God, people are what they are, and it’s never wrong. Nature is not wrong. Nature is one certainty, the one truth that is visible to people, and he hung onto that.”
My oh my, I absolutely adored this book, I have been reading a lot of the M/M genre recently, as it was so kindly pointed out my repertoire was severely lacking if I had not at least had a dabble and I must say, I am getting hooked!!
This is the story of Mattie and Simon. I was hooked the minute I read the prologue, I love an agonising prologue, but this just pulls you right in and as you are reading the story you can’t help but wonder how the prologue ties in to the story as it is all going so well. Then bam! There you have it, you can’t quite believe it but you did just read it on the page and your heart breaks, well mine did, several times throughout this story!
Simon is a successful writer, but deep down he is really very lonely. His life was turned upside down when his sister died and left him with her little baby Jamie. Simon adopted him and began to bring him up as his own, his long term partner could not hack being “a family” and left when it became apparent that Jamie had problems, it turned out he was autistic. So Simon has been a single parent family for years, Jamie is such an adorable little boy though, yes he has his issues but he makes up for it in spades, the little boy is totally infectious and you cannot help but fall in love with him during this book. Simon’s life revolves around Jamie and as such he has found a little coffee shop near Jamie’s school, where he can go and have breakfast, have his coffee and write. He stays there all day till it is time to pick Jamie up from school. This is where Simon meets Mattie.
“People who loved you, people who chose you, who made you their family and made you belong, they’re the ones that you have to hold onto with everything you have.”
Mattie, totally ADORABLE!! He has issues, lots of issues, he fell through the system as a child, he could not read or write and has been working to fund earning his GED through college even though he is in his 20’s, he is determined to make himself a better person. He is a talented artist and needs his GED to get into Art School in New York, this is his one life’s ambition. He barely makes ends meet as it is as the sandwich maker in the café that Simon frequents daily, he often goes without food and art supplies in order to pay his rent but he has other ways of making up the deficit and it is not pretty. He is basically a male prostitute with a difference, he does not have sex, he just does blow jobs as long as it is covered up!
“Confession time…I am insanely attracted to you.”
Ty, what an amazing best friend to Mattie, he was so supportive and only had his best friends interests at heart, even if that made him a meddling so and so sometimes, but the line of the book came from him, he had me in hysterics!
“He was looking because he thinks you’re hot. I’m losing masculine points by the second here”
“Scratch your balls or something” He discretely scratched his balls. “That’s better.”
If you want hot sex scenes this is not necessarily the book for you although there is a bit in there, this story concentrates on the emotional and relationship side. It is breathtakingly beautiful. This book shows you the highs and lows of bringing up a child single handed with autism, the struggles of being illiterate and trying to make something of yourself, falling in love, fighting for that love, struggling with that love, giving up that love and getting it back. It is a roller coaster of emotions and I felt every single one.
“This is me, telling you that you are still the guy I tell my secrets to…you always will be.”
I loved Simon and Jamie with a passion, he does make some ridiculous choices but I could understand why, but it didn’t make them any easier to read about. I adored Mattie, he had been through so much, yet he was still selfless. He gave everything and Jamie adored him, hurdle number 1 complete but will it be enough? Can Simon overcome Mattie’s lifestyle choices, can Mattie let Simon in enough to help or will pride get in the way, can Simon let Mattie into the little bubble that Simon calls his and Jamie’s life?
“I didn’t do anything with him because of you. I’m f**king broke and can’t pay my rent, but I turned down free cash because it felt disrespectful to you.” He took another shuddering breath. “F**k you, Simon.”
You will go through a plethora of emotions whilst reading this book, sadness, happiness, anger, you will laugh and you will cry but you will feel better for reading it. I totally connected with all the characters, Jamie was the star of the book for me, that little kid could have asked me for anything and I would have said yes! As Mattie said, Jamie is…
“No less, just different.”
Totally and utterly loved it, highly recommended.
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