Well, then. Wasn’t this a wonderful surprise of a book? This is my first book by E.M. Dennings, which I picked up because it was recommended to me, and I can already tell it won’t be my last! I’d expected a light-hearted, low-angst romance with a lovely age gap, and while I did get that, it was also a lot more emotional than I thought it’d be. 

 

Benji is such a sweet guy, honestly. I felt so much for him, it’s ridiculous. But really, how could you not? Here’s this totally sweet guy, who tries so hard, but has all the bad luck in the world. He’s been rejected and neglected and he’s so starved for any sort of positive attention, it broke my heart.  He’s so tired, down to his bones. He misses his best friend, Oliver - who’d (somewhat reluctantly) moved to London for a great job opportunity. He has no support system around him and has lost all faith in himself. So when he gets fired from yet another job when he’s already been living in his car, his best friend intervenes from a distance and arranges for him to stay at his father’s place. Leo is a wonderful, caring man and he was perfect for Benji. I loved their romance and how it grew so naturally and beautifully. 

 

I loved that the romance didn’t have any outside complications. This book didn’t need that type of angst. It was a quiet sort of book where Benji’s inner demons were the antagonist, so to speak. Everything about this story felt so realistic, and I could definitely relate to Benji a whole lot, and it was just beautiful and it made me cry a little a few times and I wanted to give Benji all the cuddles. I also loved that Benji’s struggles weren’t solved by love alone. Because love isn’t a cure-all and with how deep his insecurities ran, it takes time for them to fade. Time and a lot of love and reassurances and care. Which Leo is more than happy to provide. 

 

I’m glad I don’t have to wait for Oliver’s book and can dive right into it, because I’m not quite ready to let go of these characters just yet.