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A review by papercranestitches
Gone for You by Riley Hart
4.0
*** 4.25 Stars ***
This was definitely a case of reading the right book at the right time; I connected with the story and the characters on a gut level that I really can't explain (but it probably had as much to do with what is going on in my personal and professional life as much as the actual words that were on the page). I might not have always understood where the characters were coming from (is anyone really as selfless as Ollie?!) or why the heck they didn't just get out of their own way and be happy (I'm looking at you, Matt), but Hart managed to create characters that seemed to leap off the page fully formed. But it was really that raw edge to their shared history - that unrequited love Oliver felt for his best friend that I wasn't sure Matt could ever return equally - that sunk its teeth into me and demanded that I become emotionally invested. And I was.
In the end, we get our HEA, and Oliver and Matt ride off into the sunset (or at least the dim lights of the Wild Side bar in WeHo), but the relationship still feels a little unbalanced. I'll always believe that Oliver loves Matt more, and that Matt has more to gain from their relationship, but somehow, in this context, I'm okay with that. It feels realistic.
This was definitely a case of reading the right book at the right time; I connected with the story and the characters on a gut level that I really can't explain (but it probably had as much to do with what is going on in my personal and professional life as much as the actual words that were on the page). I might not have always understood where the characters were coming from (is anyone really as selfless as Ollie?!) or why the heck they didn't just get out of their own way and be happy (I'm looking at you, Matt), but Hart managed to create characters that seemed to leap off the page fully formed. But it was really that raw edge to their shared history - that unrequited love Oliver felt for his best friend that I wasn't sure Matt could ever return equally - that sunk its teeth into me and demanded that I become emotionally invested. And I was.
In the end, we get our HEA, and Oliver and Matt ride off into the sunset (or at least the dim lights of the Wild Side bar in WeHo), but the relationship still feels a little unbalanced. I'll always believe that Oliver loves Matt more, and that Matt has more to gain from their relationship, but somehow, in this context, I'm okay with that. It feels realistic.