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A review by dinohakari
I Hear You by Casey Morales
5.0
I've been reading and loving Casey's stories since his first [b:Raised by Wolves, The Complete Series|124047498|Raised by Wolves, The Complete Series|Casey Morales|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680065061l/124047498._SY75_.jpg|145446497] book and so far, this is the hardest one for me to review. Don't get me wrong. It's still 5 stars for me, and therefore I highly recommend it.
Throughout the book, I've been chatting with [a:Casey Morales|21757018|Casey Morales|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1649509297p2/21757018.jpg] about my doubts or things that were hard for me to accept and he was sharing why he wrote them that way, and yes, I understand them, but... that's not to say that I end up liking them. In reality, they all point to one thing: Tyler's behavior.
Apart from discussing it with the author, I've also know that several readers had problems with this character, and I must say that I understand them, because I think they are the same ones that I had. What they are: Tyler is a party boy, who likes to hook up and attend parties where he can get high and enjoy sex with different people. So far everything is fine. It's his life and his right to live it as he prefers (and good for him!) But. BUT. When this begins to affect the life of another person, who is more vulnerable due to his life circumstances, his choices are no longer so good. I mean, they weren't in an "official" relationship, but there was a relationship, and Tyler, more experienced, had to see how his actions were affecting Gabe, and some of his choices show him to be more flippant and more callous or selfish than what he really is. It's like he only cares about his next party or his next hookup. And while Gabe doesn't give him a chance to explain himself when he sees him in a "fishy" situation with Marcus (a side character) and walks out of his life, Tyler tries very little to figure out what happened and fix it (although if he added two plus two, he'd have to realizing that what Gabe saw with Marcus on his birthday and afterward was probably part of the problem) He just gives up. And although in that situation he had rejected Marcus, later during the time he was separated with Gabe, who does he look for to go to his next party in Vegas and who does he hook up with? Yep, with Marcus. There was no other? So, yes, I understand what bothers about this character.
In addition, it is a great contrast with Gabe, who is someone who, despite his deafness, never changed his way of seeing life, who is cheerful and kind, who left his native country and settled in the US and knew how to create a pleasant amd stable life for himself, with a career and friends who are like family, and it hurts to see how in his first attempt to be with someone, Gabe chooses someone who doen't want to settle down and who treats him with that "apparent" indifference, or who sometimes it seems like he's completely set on being with Gabe and sometimes quite the opposite.
With all that being said, I understand what Casey wanted to show. I understand that he wanted Tyler to grow little by little, for him to question himself and begin to see that there was more to life than parties and drugs and orgies. But that is a path that each person must follow at his own pace and in that case, no one can rush that person, nor blame them for the mistakes they may make on their own journey. Not everyone reaches the end of said journey following the same path or at the same time. So in the end, I forgive Tyler for his mistakes, because when the time came, he knew how to decide and choose what really made him happy and Gabe knew how to forgive and accept that everyone, including himself, makes mistakes.
The ending is beautiful, and it made me want more!!! As always, I must say that I love this writer's style. He is refreshing and versatile, his stories are original and his characters seem so "human" that it is impossible for them not to have flaws, which makes them even more real, and always with a touch of humor that characterizes him.
I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.
Throughout the book, I've been chatting with [a:Casey Morales|21757018|Casey Morales|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1649509297p2/21757018.jpg] about my doubts or things that were hard for me to accept and he was sharing why he wrote them that way, and yes, I understand them, but... that's not to say that I end up liking them. In reality, they all point to one thing: Tyler's behavior.
Apart from discussing it with the author, I've also know that several readers had problems with this character, and I must say that I understand them, because I think they are the same ones that I had. What they are: Tyler is a party boy, who likes to hook up and attend parties where he can get high and enjoy sex with different people. So far everything is fine. It's his life and his right to live it as he prefers (and good for him!) But. BUT. When this begins to affect the life of another person, who is more vulnerable due to his life circumstances, his choices are no longer so good. I mean, they weren't in an "official" relationship, but there was a relationship, and Tyler, more experienced, had to see how his actions were affecting Gabe, and some of his choices show him to be more flippant and more callous or selfish than what he really is. It's like he only cares about his next party or his next hookup. And while Gabe doesn't give him a chance to explain himself when he sees him in a "fishy" situation with Marcus (a side character) and walks out of his life, Tyler tries very little to figure out what happened and fix it (although if he added two plus two, he'd have to realizing that what Gabe saw with Marcus on his birthday and afterward was probably part of the problem) He just gives up. And although in that situation he had rejected Marcus, later during the time he was separated with Gabe, who does he look for to go to his next party in Vegas and who does he hook up with? Yep, with Marcus. There was no other? So, yes, I understand what bothers about this character.
In addition, it is a great contrast with Gabe, who is someone who, despite his deafness, never changed his way of seeing life, who is cheerful and kind, who left his native country and settled in the US and knew how to create a pleasant amd stable life for himself, with a career and friends who are like family, and it hurts to see how in his first attempt to be with someone, Gabe chooses someone who doen't want to settle down and who treats him with that "apparent" indifference, or who sometimes it seems like he's completely set on being with Gabe and sometimes quite the opposite.
With all that being said, I understand what Casey wanted to show. I understand that he wanted Tyler to grow little by little, for him to question himself and begin to see that there was more to life than parties and drugs and orgies. But that is a path that each person must follow at his own pace and in that case, no one can rush that person, nor blame them for the mistakes they may make on their own journey. Not everyone reaches the end of said journey following the same path or at the same time. So in the end, I forgive Tyler for his mistakes, because when the time came, he knew how to decide and choose what really made him happy and Gabe knew how to forgive and accept that everyone, including himself, makes mistakes.
The ending is beautiful, and it made me want more!!! As always, I must say that I love this writer's style. He is refreshing and versatile, his stories are original and his characters seem so "human" that it is impossible for them not to have flaws, which makes them even more real, and always with a touch of humor that characterizes him.
I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.