4.5, but rating 5 bc I've re-read it an embarrassing number of times at this point

I loved this very British, rather simple yet very well-crafted roommates to lovers story. There’s nothing revolutionary about this one, just has all the right amounts of things I generally enjoy in books. 

I actually read it through twice, bc I wanted to skim before I wrote my review, but ended up just fully re-reading it. It almost feels effortless, and has the quality of a diary/confessional, even though it’s not written out in dated entries. It also follows basically a true year in Davey’s life, which is also very diary-like, January to January, and I was put in mind of some of the more fun aspects of Bridget Jones at times? The constant striving for self-improvement and to meet some nebulous and likely unattainable (certainly unsustainable) point of nirvana and perfection. (The more I think about it, and as little as I like "it's like X meets X" book pitches, this does remind me of a mix between In The Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish and BJD.)

The book does throw the word ‘manly’ around a lot, but it is not always talking about masculinity, but rather maturity and being a ‘proper adult’. It’s understandable why Davey thinks he needs to grow up, I suppose, but it’s also lovely to see him finally realize that you don’t need to put your cuddly toys away when you turn 18 or 21 or 25 or 40, because sometimes we need them as adults, whether we're proper or not, and that’s okay.

I could see some readers rolling their eyes at Davey a bit (but I would hope with affection, bc he really is a dear) but as someone who can get flustered and feels rather hapless at times, I could relate to some of his scrapes. And the miscommunication (which is more an unwillingness to communicate about a particular topic) really is in keeping with what we know of Davey and his last relationship’s demise. Miscommunication will happen; it happens in real life, but it doesn’t chafe as much when the reader can sympathize with the character’s reasons for avoiding the subject.

The friends and family in the book were also pitched perfectly. Never too much, they enhanced the development of the plot and were well fleshed out on their own. And while I've enjoyed 'world of two' books before and will again, the fully developed cast of characters here was refreshing.

Davey reading all of Rob’s projects and glimpsing the brief descriptions was sweet, and I also want all of these amazing gay graphic novels to exist in the world. And I loved how the ones that spoke to him at different times or the one he felt compelled to re-read at a certain point sort of mirrored things happening in Davey’s relationship with Rob. Also, the fact that Davey is so cat-like that Rob creates a cat in his comic to be a representation of him and then casts himself as his canine companion . . . the more I type the more adorable things I remember.