Review: A great, fresh story with deliciously flawed characters
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2013
This was a fascinating story. I loved how it had two characters with such severe issues. Logan is just recently out of prison, a recovering alcoholic, and working at a warehouse. He struggles daily with his desire to pick up a bottle and start drinking. I loved that he felt so much guilt over how he acted while he was drinking. His struggling was interesting to see especially with how he thought things through. He understood his weakness and he tried his hardest to stay on the straight and narrow. I also loved that fact that he was so freaking tall and scary! It was kind of funny. Caleb is a real sweetheart. So innocent and oblivious he doesn't even know his own appeal. It was interesting to see how Caleb handles being an agoraphobic. His constant 'What ifs' are sad to read about but I found it so fascinating to see the downward spiral those questions induced in Caleb. It was sad but also amazing to see that he was eventually willing to work on his problems with a little nudge from Logan.One thing I really loved about this book, though, was how there were sporadic situations or moments that were extremely funny. I was either smiling from something funny or smiling from something extremely cute and sweet. I loved how the author was able to show the similarities between someone like Caleb and someone like Logan. They might have had two different problems but the struggles they go through are very similar and I liked that comparison because it gave them something to bond over. I adored how Logan put so much effort into helping Caleb. I also liked how we got such an up close look into Caleb's panic attacks. It made them very real but I also appreciated the fact that Caleb wasn't just cured all of a sudden because Logan showed up and offered affection. It was nice to see a little relationship develop between them before anything monumental happened. In fact, at first they start off awkward around each other. They also go through their fair share of roadblocks of shame, embarrassment, and being humiliated.While I really enjoyed the book, I had a few difficulties with it. I definitely loved how this book dealt with two completely flawed characters. However, I felt like Caleb's problems overshadowed Logan's problems. At first, we get an in depth view of what Logan is going through as a recovering alcoholic and ex-con but somewhere during the story, we stopped seeing Logan's problems beyond a few vague comments of his cravings and the book focused on Caleb's issues. I would have liked to see more of Logan's issues, his AA meetings, his anger management meetings but also seeing Caleb incorporated in those situations as well. Because of that, I felt like the book ended before it needed to end and it almost felt too rushed. Beyond that, I felt like the issues with the theft was a little weak and took away from the intensity of Logan and Caleb's relationship.Overall, definitely a great story. The characters were the highlight of this book and while they were a bit subdued because of the weak theft subplot, they were still a great couple. Their struggles felt real at times and gave this story a unique and fresh feel. I'm hoping there's more to come of Logan and Caleb because I'd love to read more about them and see how their efforts have paid off sometime down the road (I also hope we might get a story for John Dabb *wink, wink*).