22 October 2014

DBML: The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen

The Ivy Years Series, Book #3
(could be easily read as a standalone)

My rating: 5 stars

[DBML Event: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review]

Wow..this book was just wow...
I loved it! And every hour of (beautiful) sleep I lost for it was really worth it!

Graham and Rikker relationship was sad and sweet at the same time. In the beginning however it was mostly sad. Graham is full of guilt for what he let happen to Rik when they were young and he's also very afraid to admit he is gay so he tries his hardest to never talk to him and never met his eyes. Rikker, for his part, has to deal with being the new guy (again) in town and in particular being the new gay guy in a hockey's team...not so easy! He's also both angry and depressed with Graham's behavior but he takes the high route and tries to not challenge him on it when they're with the other teammates - when they're alone though it's another story - . I really admired him for this!
Rikker is a good guy through and through and, during their 'secret' relationship, he is very patient and understanding with Graham. How could I not like him?!

It takes a while to Graham to confront his still alive attraction to Rik; it takes him longer to do something about it and, even then, he is so afraid of what he is and what could happens if they're outed that he forces so many “rules” to their relationship to almost lose it all.
For all his hang-ups, I really liked Graham: he's probably my favorite between the twos MC. He is also a victim of hate and prejudice but, differently to Rik's case, he wasn't forced to face his being gay at sixteen and as a consequence he let himself be ruled by fear. He hides himself from the world - by drinking too much at times, and just enough at others; putting on shields and forcing himself to act straight - but mostly he hides from himself. His struggle was quite painful for me to watch but, in the end, I was so proud of his efforts! The scene with his mother (if you read the book you'll know what part I'm talking about) was touching and beautiful for its simplicity.

There's really not a thing I would change about The Understatement of the Year! I loved this story!

At last, I'd really like to thank again the author for the opportunity to read her book for free (THANK YOU!!!) and I hope she appreciates my honest review

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