Ethan had been in love once when he was a teenager but after things didn’t work out, he’s spent the years since chasing that feeling. But with every failed attempt he’s more and more convinced that there’s something broken inside him. Despite all that, he still harbors a kernel of hope that one day he’ll find love again.

Blue, on the other hand, has sworn off love and relationships completely after having had his heart broken time and again. Occasional hookups suit him just fine. But then he sees a cute guy in the coffee shop and finds himself looking for any excuse to spend time with him. The more they get to know each other, the more Blue begins to reconsider his stance on love and he’s just got to hope that this time is different than all the other times that left him hurt and alone.

This book got off to a bit of a slow start. Ethan and Blue didn’t even speak to one another until around the 25% mark. But once they did, things picked up for me. I enjoyed seeing their friendship form. They were so sweet together and Blue was so good to Ethan. The middle part of the book was just lovely as these two grew closer and fell in love. It was understandably a slow burn being that Ethan was demisexual. I enjoyed that part of his journey too. The poor guy spent so many years convinced that something was broken inside him but then Blue came in and helped him understand his sexuality and realize that the way he experienced attraction was completely normal.

The book gets quite angsty toward the end. I figured this would happen, given the threads that were carried over from the first book, but I was not expecting it to go over quite how it did. I won’t spoil anything but there was a different aspect that I wished had gotten more focus during this period. Sorry for being vague, but I think you can guess what I mean once you’ve read it. To that end - even though this is about a new couple, you’re going to want to read Beneath the Indigo Sky before you read this since there are overarching storylines that are best appreciated if you read them in order. I almost wish there had been a little more overlap (or maybe having it happen sooner so certain things could have been explored more).

Anyway, I’m curious to see where the story goes next in the last book of the series!