I pretty much devoured this book. It was very pine-y, and the MMC was almost too perfect, but I appreciated the central problem keeping the two main characters apart, and how addiction, grief, and friendship was conveyed. Larissa met best friends Chris and Mike at a concert, and chose Mike when she needed a ride home. That one choice had a ripple effect - she started dating Mike, so she was permanently off limits to Chris. Basically forbidden live, written with sensitivity and nuance.
Larissa and Chris become friends, and share a spastic dog. Chris covers for Mike when Mike drinks too much, and he gives Mike ideas for gifts for Larissa. As a pharmacist, Chris is knowledgeable and careful of Larissa’s nut allergy, and goes out of his way to accommodate her needs, even as Mike is cavalier. The more time Chris spends with Larissa, the more he realizes he’s in love with her, but even if she and Mike broke up, he could never date her.
Mike’s drinking finally pushes Larissa to dump him, and she realizes everything she loved about Mike was really Chris’ doing. They can’t deny their love for each other, realizing no matter what they do, someone will be hurt. Mike comes around in a tidy way at the end. I liked how I was rooting for them even though I generally would say they shouldn’t be together (because of bro code). (9)
Comments
Post a Comment