My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It took about halfway through this book for me to really get excited about the characters and story. Both MCs started off obnoxious and not too likable for me. Over the course of the book, they did grow on me, however.
Jeffrey is all about appearances and keeping up with a status that he’s convinced himself he should maintain. It doesn’t help that he feels pressure from his father to live his life a certain way. He’s thrown his hat in the race to make partner at his law firm and focuses on that ambition throughout most of the story.
Theo is flighty and carefree, not giving two shits what other people think about his duct taped shoes and lack of permanent residence. He’s a theater geek and aspiring song writer. He surrounds himself with other theater types and is dating Madison, a member of his group. This pairing immediately comes off as wrong. Theo and Madison don’t fit together, and Madison doesn’t act like he’s in a relationship with Theo, in my opinion. Theo just insinuate himself is Madison’s life. In fact, Theo seems to insinuate himself in situations everywhere he goes. He’s also very self-assured of his musical talent, so much so that he comes off as annoyingly self-centered. To give you an idea of Theo’s physical appearance and personality, Jeffery sufficiently describes him as “somebody who could easily be mistaken for a Chucky doll.”
Jeffery and Theo start off on the wrong foot from the get-go. They fight like feral cats with moments of cease fire that were amusing and confusing at times. As they continue to get to know each other in their uniquely weird way, Jeffery begins to realize his feelings for Theo. Theo comes across as oblivious to his developing feelings. In the end, they both accept their feelings for each other and their coming together is sweet.
There are lots of moments that are supposed to be humorous but fall short for me. One line that actually got an out loud laugh from me: “He and Fat Madison were probably somewhere watching The Sound of Music and jacking each other off.”
Jeffery’s attempts at wooing Theo are cute and sweet, and Theo’s reactions to them are over-the-top in a way that only Theo can be. It’s sort of a relief once they get out of the way of their feelings for each other that they are trying to so hard to fight.
**Copy provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and impartial review.**