A review by kj468
You & Me by Tal Bauer

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

rep: MLM, Bi (? - not fully defined) MC featuring bi-awakening, Gay LI, learning disability (dyslexia; one of the sons), recovery from bigoted religion (Mormon)
POV: first person, single POV

Things I liked:
  • Such good, clear communication! I kept waiting for miscommunication to become an angsty, dramatic plot point and it never did. Love to see it! 
  • SUCH FLIRTY BOYS! I was dying of laughter because it took Luke SO LONG to realize that the feelings he felt for Landon were NOT normal friendship feelings, and his behavior around Landon was decidedly NOT bro-y, hetero actions. Iconic bisexual disaster material. Their banter was SO GOOD. So many funny scenes where I could feel the chemistry between them; it was so clear why they liked each other. 
  • I loved Luke's improving relationship with his son, Emmett. It was cathartic to read about a parent so genuinely caring about their relationship with their kid & trying so hard to fix it. As a note, the poor relationship doesn't stem from any kind of abuse or manipulative behavior -- it's mainly a result of a really shitty (dead) wife, an unhappy dad, and a dad who doesn't know how to relate to his teenager.
  • This bullet point spoils the (slight) mystery of the death of the mother:
    The author handled the topic of drugs very well. I love how strongly Luke was trying to protect his son (even if you don't agree with the specific action he took to do so). Luke's reactions to Emmett's use of testosterone are so loving and full of care and concern -- I felt he handled that obstacle really well.
  • The religious healing was great! Landon, the LI, was raised Mormon & married his middle school (and high school, and college) girlfriend before realizing he's gay. I love that Landon gives his son, Bowen, the space to develop his own relationship with religion. I liked that Landon didn't have a completely finalized, crystal clear view of his own view on religion -- it was very much a topic he was still working through. He describes himself as agnostic, though clearly his religious upbringing and some tenants of his religion still carry weight in his mind.

Things I didn't like:
  • Honestly, I had very few complaints about this book. The only negative point I have is definitely a subjective point -- I just really don't care about football, okay? Some of the descriptions of games were long and involved. If you care about football, that's probably a positive. For me? I ended up skimming those scenes because while I do love me some sporty queers, I don't actually care about the sports aspect lol. I literally only docked the .25 star because of my dislike of football, and that's so not the author's fault.

tw + explanation

Throughout the book, it's clear that Luke's ex died suddenly, and for a long time it's not clearly stated how/why she died. If there are certain causes of sudden death that may trigger you, I recommend you read the trigger warnings.
Unbeknownst to Luke, it turns out the mother was using a variety of drugs prior to her death and she dies from an overdose of heroin. Also, related, it turns out that Emmett used steroids for a period of time before the start of the book, and for a brief couple of pages, Luke thinks that Emmett is actively using heroin, too.
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