4.5 stars — I kind of avoided this book b/c I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, but the funny thing is that my expectations were kind of wrong in some ways, and it took me to places I wasn’t expecting but that seriously delighted me. So the lesson is: stop procrastinating out of fear, you might be missing something amazing.
I was a bit wary of Maggie at the start. While I enjoy grumpy/sunshine stories, occasionally the grump just baffles me. And initially I found Maggie to be almost over the top leaning on the introvert label, not sure if that makes sense. She really, truly, is anti-social, but as the story goes on you get glimpses of why she is the way she is, from her childhood upbringing to her disastrous marriage. While I will admit I kind of still wanted to learn more, I was given enough to have an idea of how those things impacted her, and how she was at a place in her life where she’d just gone full hermit. One thing I loved about Maggie is that she wasn’t perfect by any means — and specifically she wasn’t some super mom. Even at 48, she was still worrying over how she did with Kit (partially because of wounds from the ex). Which is kind of refreshing. But what we did see was that she truly wanted what was best for him, and she loved him…she was just also human and had some damage. Through her budding friendship (and more) with Aiden, we get to see the softness under her hard shell, and fell in love with her at the same time he did. She was snarky and bold, as well as caring and vulnerable.
And given I wrote a novel of a paragraph on Maggie, I bet it’ll be hard to believe that it was Aiden who truly impacted me the most in this story. He was so sweet, and caring, but had gotten used to being a bit of a doormat. He had so much he was struggling with, not the least of which was his relationship with his mom as her primary caregiver. That honestly broke my heart. His family just…was a bit of a nightmare situation when you got down to it. But it really showed how hard it can be to cut out toxic people from your life and not buy into their bull.
But it was his discovery (through the help of Maggie) of the ace spectrum that really hit home for me. There were so many moments where I just felt seen. I LOVED seeing the representation, and I ache for all the other aces out there who don’t even know about the spectrum, and that they’re not broken. Both the ace rep and the bisexuality rep (including his struggle with bi-erasure and all that comes with that particular brand of homophobia) were just refreshing to read about.
I adored the development of their friendship, the misunderstandings, the way things grew as they met IRL…it all just felt so real and satisfying. And the jump to more was perfect.
Lots of great nerdiness in this one, even if it isn’t my particular brand of nerdiness.
So yeah. I love it when a book hits in ways you didn’t expect.
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Popular Highlights in this book
The idea that there might be an explanation for something he’d always felt like a freak about was eye opening. The thought that he wasn’t alone in it was more comforting than he’d ever realized.Highlighted by 354 Kindle readers- “It’s more than looks. You aren’t like anybody I’ve ever met. You’re snarky and snarly and sweet and generous. You’re helpful and kind and act like a honey badger to anyone who tries to point it out. You aren’t as mean as you think, but you’re not to be messed with either. You’re brave and smart and loyal and funny. You are amazing.”Highlighted by 296 Kindle readers
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Reviews with images
Gen X slow burn 🔥
Meet Maggie. Maggie is a divorced, single mom who works from home and recently her son left for college. Her hermit-likeness is strange to those around her who don’t understand her. She is socially awkward and trying to get herself out of the comfort zone, especially since Kit left. When she’s given the idea to join a video game guild to “meet” people, she finds herself able to relax and actually be herself with them.Enter Aiden. Aiden has grown up to be exactly what his parents would never want him to be. He’s a nurse, he’s not married, and he’s trying to help his mom out since his dad died. Awful, right? When he has a bit of down time when the nosy neighbor isn’t overstepping to get him out of his shell, he plays an online guild.The slow burn for these 2 mature, Gen X MC’s who have battles of their own to overcome, and find solace in each other, is unreal.This is the second book of this nature (Gen X) and it did not disappoint. The obstacles that Maggie and Aiden have to overcome separately and how they use the strength of each other to build their lives together is so special. Their dynamic is a hit and I need to read more like this. Aiden is a teddy bear and Maggie, although she’s told to be grumpy like a troll, she’s really inspiring for how blunt and open she is given most situations. I identified with Aiden a lot due to him being demisexual and never truly understanding his sexuality until Maggie. And with Maggie, she is such a spitfire, but she opens herself up for Aiden and she finally lives her life, again, she’s inspiring.You will find:🎮 Gen X romance🎮 online friends to lovers🎮 miscommunication trope done right🎮 self identity🎮 grumpy x sunshine🎮 family obstacles🎮 some kickback from a parent🎮 AAPI representation
Top reviews from other countries
Anni (Bella) reads a lot
Fantastic generation-X romance with tough issues tackled. Love Cathy Yardley!
Reviewed in Canada on July 2, 2023
Ali's Adventures
An absolutely gorgeous and ultimately uplifting story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2023
Ali's Adventures
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2023
cw: racism, queerphobia
Unapologetically grumpy Maggie makes a deal with her equally introverted college-aged son to be more social. She joins an online gaming guild, where she meets kind and caring 'Otter'. They quickly become friends, but Otter thinks he's talking to an octagenarian, while Maggie thinks Otter is at college. When she discovers Otter is actually fifty-year-old Aiden, their chemistry only grows.
I absolutely ADORED this book. I immediately loved Maggie (seriously, four pages in I knew her because in so many ways I am her). Aiden was such a cinnamon roll, and I loved the development of his and Maggie's relationship, from online acquaintances to friends to lovers. Every moment of it felt earned.
I also loved that they were both older characters and both introverts. The gaming campaigns were well-written, and I really loved how supportive each character was with the other. Maggie was hilarious, but I also loved her vulnerable moments and how she stood up for Aiden. I applauded her response to Sheryl's vile behaviour at the wedding. But more than that, I loved that having finally been accepted for who he was by someone and actually experiencing love without conditions, Aiden was able to stand up for himself.
An absolutely gorgeous and ultimately uplifting story.
Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥.5
Emotional Rating: 😏🙈😬💔😂🙈😂😏🙈😉😂🙈😂💓😉💓🥰😉💓👏🏻💓😒🤬😂👏🏻💓👏🏻😢💓🥰💓👏🏻💓🥰😉💓🥰😊😬👏🏻💓😢💓😬😉💔😢💓🤬💓🥰😂👏🏻😏💓😂🥰🤬👏🏻💓😢💓😍🥰😍💓😂🥰👏🏻🤬💔💓🥰😏💓😍💓😬💓🤦🏻♀️👏🏻🥰
Favourite Quotes:
“I don’t like leaving the house, though. In fact, I’ll do a lot to actively avoid leaving the house."
“I just don’t think that you should get pushed into doing anything you don’t want to do. Period. Life’s too short, you know?”
"Most people drain me like an old cell phone battery. You don’t exhaust me either. I feel better after I hang out with you.”
“If you can’t handle me in sweatpants, you don’t deserve me in stilettos,”
"I like who you are.”
Her cheeks went pink. “I . . . like who you are too.”
Images in this review
Amazon Customer
A fun and emotional romance
Reviewed in Australia on November 30, 2023
