I really enjoyed this book. I loved the maturity of the two main characters. The interactions between them and the superb development. You clearly understood who they were. The third person writing was excellent and fluid. The only complain I have about this book is the erotic/sex parts. They were too quick IMO and lacking the illustrious details that most crave, especially in M/M books. The somewhat side story to this book was a bit over the top, but it didn't take away from the story as a whole. If anything it cemented more of their relationship into it's proper place. This story was delightful. The double Gay For You treat presented here is a nice surprise. Here we meet Ryan and John. Ryan is a retired fireman and now med student. While being on campus he meets John, who happens to be the college ground keeper. John's been divorced for a while and has two kids who live away from him; Mark, 15 and Torey, 12.Ryan is sharing a flat with another med student but things aren't working out at all, and John tells him that he can rent him a room in his house and Ryan moves in. Turns out that they fall into a lovely easy dynamic, and they start getting closer, and at some point they recognize the attraction they feel for each other.Now, at first sight it seems like they realized it and just went for it.. But no, not really. After the first kiss they both freak out, and things change between them for a bit. There's struggle, there's a lot of insight and it seems too easy because there's no yelling and no "I'm moving out!!" stuff. What I think is that, for Ryan after almost losing everything he had, finding John, who loved them and cared about him and saw him for who he was was worth trying to push those fears aside. And for John, who also felt like he'd lost a lot, and who'd been drinking much more and more often that he probably wanted to, finding Ryan probably was proof that not everything was lost. I think that, seeing it that way, and seeing that they were both men in their thirties who shared and knew each other well, having seen them get over their fears "relatively soon" made sense. I know that's not probably how most straight men would have reacted on a situation like this, but that doesn't mean that is unrealistic, I think. I loved Ryan's relationship with Mark. I loved how the kid ended up defending his dad's relationship with Ryan and trusting his "almost stepdad" with his life. I've always liked GFY, Friends-to-lovers stories that also include kids and do it brilliantly, and I think this was one of them. Mark's reaction to his dad and Ryan's relationship was very realistic... While I wanted to slap the kid I also saw that hell, that was a teenager going through a lot.. and it seemed.. normal.. - not justifiable, but an expected reaction?.. definitely. And I loved how Ryan managed it... Absolutely.I was also glad to see that in the end Ryan lost all of his fears, or most of them... it was lovely.The mystery in the story just added a nice thrill. I liked it a lot.I really wish there was a sequel to this. I'd love to know what happened next, - with Torey, Ryan's family... Mark and of course, Ryan and John. :)
What do You think about The Rebuilding Year (2012)?
Loved it! Amazing read. Loved both the MCs to bits.. and believe me that doesn't happen very often!
—minahil
Great read - loved the idea of two straight guys falling in love!
—tulgabayhan
