I enjoyed this sweet story. The picture we get of Andy before prison is not positive. He was spoiled and immature and incredibly mean to his ex-boyfriend. Jesse was also messed up, with misplaced guilt and a healthy dose of self-hatred. But during their time in prison, Andy is full of sincere regret and Jesse is learning to accept himself without shame. In terms of prison life, it felt like the setting was mostly glossed over with just a few references that felt true to life, and those were mostly told, not shown. Other than giving the story a slight fairytale feel, it didn't bother me too much because the scenes focusing on the relationship between Andy and Jesse were what I enjoyed the most. This charming novella charts the growing romance between young cellmates Jesse and Andy. What starts with a purely physical relationship, blooms into something far more important to them both.Rachel West is excellent at charting the fluctuating emotions of the lovers, and manages to write sex scenes that are both hot and emotionally satisfying. Really I would rate this a 4.5, as the only thing that let it down for me was a lack of exploration of the prison setting in the early chapters. I felt that there were missed opportunities to show more of Andy's reactions to the hostile new world he found himself in.Still, highly recommended for those who want a hot m/m romance that errs on the side of sweet rather than gritty, despite the setting.
What do You think about The Cellmate (2010)?
My first prison romance and I really liked it. It had enough happy and romance for me.
—Isela
I liked how it was a book of redemption. It was very good.
—erik
A wonderful, sweet, passionate story. I would recommend.
—llevissianos
