A reread! I loved this book just as much, maybe even more, this time around ❤️.  Such funny characters, Oliver is so sarcastic I love him. Ezra radiated gender envy, and is such a sweet, caring guy. The disability rep is SO GOOD. Hits all the right beats, I’ll always recommend this book to anyone who will listen.

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Full review:

I  loved  this book! I read it, and then immediately reread it – that's how much I loved it. It's got great characters, a sweet romance, and wonderful representation. Also, the characters work in publishing, so there are lots of bookish jokes, including horrible lines from manuscripts that will make you comedically remind you of some of the worst books you've read (or not read). I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, but especially to my fellow bookish folks! 

Here are some of my specific likes:

➡ This book has really unique pacing of the relationship and it works well, I think partially because time felt so different in quarantine and the pacing reflects that.
➡ Speaking of, the pandemic setting really works! I was a bit nervous about how it would feel reading a book — especially a romance — set during the pandemic, but the author did such a great job. Covid is clearly present and affects all the characters' interactions, but mercifully no one actually gets covid. Setting this book in 2020 allowed the romance to have a different pace than most romances, and explored the interpersonal difficulties of quarantine, like working from home, having to be careful (and extra careful, in Oliver’s case since he is high-risk), and being lonely while quarantining alone.
➡ Ezra totally obliterates the typical trust-fund-kid stereotype. He’s not entitled, he’s thoughtful and considerate, he’s a hard worker, and he clearly cares deeply for the people in his life
➡ I really liked the disability rep. Oliver has rheumatoid arthritis, and it’s a prominent part of the book, without being his defining characteristic. We hear Oliver’s thoughts on living with this autoimmune disease, especially during the height of the pandemic, we see him experience flares, and we see him take care of his body and meet his own needs.
➡ The author does SUCH a good job of slowly unraveling the character's backstories, in both big and small ways. (Like, in ways that are core to their characters, and just fun details)
➡ Oliver’s cat, Fiona, is a whole-ass character. I love when books have cats with proper personalities. And I adore that, while she’s apathetic to antagonistic with most of Oliver’s friends, she loves Ezra.
➡ Great supporting cast! I love that both Ezra and Oliver have several people they’re close to in their lives, with some overlap of shared friends. The background characters are well developed and present throughout the entire book — they don’t only appear when relevant for plot reasons, which I always appreciate because it makes friendships feel more authentic.
➡ They’re SO CUTE. Ezra speaks FRENCH. Oliver COOKS. They power through tv and romcoms together. They work in publishing and share gripes over bad writing (like breasts that are capable of independent movement). The author describes Oliver as "a cinnamon roll and a librarian who had a baby but swears like a sailor" at one point, and honestly, that's so on point and he's such a wonderful character.

Rep: MLM; bi MCs, MC with rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety disorder

Tags: pandemic, workplace romance, willingly quarantining together (sort of forced proximity???), slow burn, strangers to friends to lovers, mutual pining, bisexual disasters, epistolary