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A review by brookeisbusyreading
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I love it when the vibes of books surprises me. With a title like “I Wish You All the Best”, I tried to brace myself for a tragedy, a ‘falling out of love’ situation, or something like that. But it was how the book made me feel the whole time that let me let go of that and just enjoy the experience.
The fact that the romance between Ben and Nathan wasn’t front and center was a nice change. It focused on Ben’s coming out, the aftermath, and their struggle to make a life they want to be a part of. But I’ll be damned if that romance wasn’t so fucking SMOOTH! The hand holding really got me! Such a small gesture yet it worked.
I’m also conflicted on how I should be feeling with regard to how much I relate to Ben, specifically their relationship with their parents. I actually don’t speak to either of biological parents (and now my stepdad too), though it’s for very different reasons. Maybe I’m still a newbie to the world of queer romances despite everything I’ve read so far, but I haven’t read a book that focused on a coming out of such destruction before. And I think I would’ve ABSOLUTELY reacted the same way Ben did after they came out. I feel their introvertness on a deep level.
Lastly, reading books with nonbinary characters does throw me off sometimes. Most queer books I feel have MCs that are gay, lesbian, bi, and/or transgender. Personally I haven’t read many books with any other kind of MC. One example that comes to mind is Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. And I’m SO GLAD I read this because the movie’s coming out SO SOON!
The fact that the romance between Ben and Nathan wasn’t front and center was a nice change. It focused on Ben’s coming out, the aftermath, and their struggle to make a life they want to be a part of. But I’ll be damned if that romance wasn’t so fucking SMOOTH! The hand holding really got me! Such a small gesture yet it worked.
I’m also conflicted on how I should be feeling with regard to how much I relate to Ben, specifically their relationship with their parents. I actually don’t speak to either of biological parents (and now my stepdad too), though it’s for very different reasons. Maybe I’m still a newbie to the world of queer romances despite everything I’ve read so far, but I haven’t read a book that focused on a coming out of such destruction before. And I think I would’ve ABSOLUTELY reacted the same way Ben did after they came out. I feel their introvertness on a deep level.
Lastly, reading books with nonbinary characters does throw me off sometimes. Most queer books I feel have MCs that are gay, lesbian, bi, and/or transgender. Personally I haven’t read many books with any other kind of MC. One example that comes to mind is Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. And I’m SO GLAD I read this because the movie’s coming out SO SOON!