I love stories where the romantic plot is preceded by a genuine like for each other, and this one truly grounds Andy and Nick’s friendship in a believable and genuinely heartwarming way before they even start admitting they might have feelings that go beyond that. It’s a slow, beautifully written meditation on what it meant to be queer in New York in the late 50s, and is thoroughly grounded in that specific place and time - NYC almost feels like a third character. The research the author did is evident and makes the world even more believable, and both Nick and Andy are loveable, fully fleshed out characters in their own right. A very soft, sweet and low-angst love story. 

I did wish at times that there was a tiny bit more plot - there are several interesting plot lines that are started and then abruptly tied up neatly with not much detail -

the police evidence cover-up, the police stalking them, Nick’s family’s reactions to Andy, Emily’s heart doctor, etc

. This was occasionally frustrating, as was the one angstier section of the book where they both deliberately misunderstood each other’s intentions and I was screaming JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER internally. Still a very worth-while read and beautiful story though!