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Better Than a Dream
Yuki is owner of the Fuuka Cafe. When a man with a single rucksack comes to the store and insists, "Hire me," Yuki is forced to take him on as a live-in employee. However, Yuki's live-in worker really appears to be a live-in lover
250 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 20, 2008
I'm so glad I bought Better than a Dream . I'd read the summary on amazon and the plot seemed pretty thin, but sometimes you just have a good feeling about a book and I had that feeling about Better than a Dream . Something told me I would like it so I decided to give it a try.
Yuuki is the owner of a cafe in a small town. He's still mourning the loss of his lover to a tragic hiking accident when Kamishiro, a mysterious chef walks into his life. Initially, Kamishiro's resemblance to Yuuki's lost lover is what draws Yuuki to him but over time his feelings become more complicated.
What I appreciated most about Better than a Dream was the maturity of the main characters and the realistic portrayal of their emotions. Yuuki's grief and conflicted feelings especially rang true. In general this is very much a story about two adults slowly coming together. I thought it was paced well and everything came together in a way that made sense. Despite the simple-seeming plot, the author balances the suspense and the character development nicely. Don't think for a bit though that this means there was no steam. Far from it. Yuuki and Kamishiro sizzle off the pages.
In some places I would have liked a little more insight into Yuuki's thought processes but overall this was a really pleasant surprise on many levels, including the quality of the translation. If DMP keeps this up, I'll definitely be buying more of their novel releases.
Yuuki is the owner of a cafe in a small town. He's still mourning the loss of his lover to a tragic hiking accident when Kamishiro, a mysterious chef walks into his life. Initially, Kamishiro's resemblance to Yuuki's lost lover is what draws Yuuki to him but over time his feelings become more complicated.
What I appreciated most about Better than a Dream was the maturity of the main characters and the realistic portrayal of their emotions. Yuuki's grief and conflicted feelings especially rang true. In general this is very much a story about two adults slowly coming together. I thought it was paced well and everything came together in a way that made sense. Despite the simple-seeming plot, the author balances the suspense and the character development nicely. Don't think for a bit though that this means there was no steam. Far from it. Yuuki and Kamishiro sizzle off the pages.
In some places I would have liked a little more insight into Yuuki's thought processes but overall this was a really pleasant surprise on many levels, including the quality of the translation. If DMP keeps this up, I'll definitely be buying more of their novel releases.
November 19, 2012
Of the two DRM-free e-books Digital Manga, Inc. decided to sell through ARe, this one's description excited me the least. There seemed to be too many characters, and I'm not a fan of the “grieving widow/widower/lover” trope. It also didn't help that the excerpt on the publisher's website was boring and strange - DMI folks, please tell me you didn't seriously think the stuff from the POV of the dog would convince people to buy the book.
You know what, though? Better Than a Dream turned out to be an okay read. While I do think there are lots of better books out there, if you're going to try one of DMI's “yaoi novel” offerings, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.
Aspects of the book that worked for me:
- Sakuragi's fresh take on the “grieving widow/widower/lover” trope. Or at least it felt fresh to me – since I usually avoid the trope, it's quite possible that this sort of thing is common in m/m “grieving widower/lover” stories. Anyway, in most books I've read with this trope, the grieving character has some kind of outlet for their grief. In Better Than a Dream, very few people know that Yuuki is gay, much less that he and Tsukada were lovers. Although I didn't always like the way Yuuki acted, in this context I could sort of understand why he acted the way he did. I don't think Yuuki ever had an opportunity to properly grieve, and the one person around him trying to help him through his grief (sort of) had ulterior motives. Yuuki might have continued to keep things as they were, were it not for Kamishiro. Kamishiro was the catalyst who got him to start working through his post-Tsukada feelings.
- Sakuragi tried to write her characters as though they were actual people. None of that “you raped me, but you're hot and it felt good, so I love you” (yes, I'm still a bit angry about Kyoko Wakatsuki's The Selfish Demon King). When bad stuff happened, if affected characters' emotions, and they reacted accordingly, or at least somewhat accordingly. More on that in my "Aspects that didn't work for me" section.
- The mystery of Kamishiro. To be honest, I thought Sakuragi was working up to the revelation that Kamishiro was actually post-magical-reconstructive-surgery-Tsukada. Thankfully, Sakuragi came up with something more realistic, yet still shocking. Bravo.
- The WTF moments. Even when they horrified me, I couldn't help but be morbidly curious about what was going to happen next.
- The mountain-climbing and café aspects. It's not like Sakuragi included a whole lot of detail on these things, but it was still nice to see that the characters had lives outside of having sex or thinking about having sex. I do wonder, though, how Yuuki managed to stay in business. Even if Fuuka had had a better location, I doubt his clientele would have consisted of more than the regulars who had been coming there for years.
Aspects that didn't work for me:
- The weak beginning. Is it even possible for a book to have a weaker beginning? It starts with a strange prologue written primarily from the perspective of a dog. There is a bit of confusing head-hopping in which Sakuragi slips in a little from some random elderly lady's perspective. Then the book switches to Yuuki's perspective. I was left wondering whether the man in the prologue was Shin or Tsukada and had trouble orienting myself until I reread the book's description.
- The “grieving lover” trope. I've mentioned this before on this blog, but I'm not a fan of the “widow/widower” trope, because so often the deceased person is cardboard, either a horrible person or unbelievably perfect. Tsukada was perfect. Yuuki worries that what he feels for Kamishiro is actually due to seeing aspects of Tsukada in him. He eventually comes to the realization that he loves Kamishiro because he is Kamishiro. To be honest, I didn't find the progression from Yuuki's earlier worries to his final revelation to be very believable. It seemed to come down to “good sex = love.”
- Several of the characters could have been fleshed out better. Shin and Kamishiro felt like sketches, at best. They were more fleshed out than Tsukada, but not by much.
- The sex scenes and any references to sexual feelings. They are the source of many laughable lines. Example: “As Shin became a bigger part of his life, Yuuki's feverish body often whispered sweet nothings to his senses.” (pg. 22 on my Nook). There's a lot of reliance on cliches that you'll be familiar with if you've read yaoi manga before, like really drooly kisses – as it turns out, I can take this much better in manga form than novel form. Ick. Also, I'm still not sure, but I think there was a bit where Yuuki used shaving cream as lubricant during sex with Kamishiro. Gah.
- The on-page rape, or near-rape. This whole bullet point counts as a SPOILER, but, to my mind, it's a totally necessary one. Sakuragi sets things up so that there's a bit of a love triangle. Shin is attracted to Yuuki, and Yuuki knows this on some level but refuses to do anything about that knowledge. Yuuki continues his spinelessness by not giving Shin advance warning that he has allowed Kamishiro to live in his home. I thought Shin was perfectly justified in feeling angry at Yuuki. I expected a horrible, tense, ugly fight. What I did not expect was that Shin
- Yuuki's spinelessness. While I at first attributed some of this to not being able to properly deal with his grief, I eventually came to believe that he was just a weak person. His non-handling of the situation with Shin played a big part in how I felt about him.
- Mysteriously abandoned story elements. Sakuragi sets things up so that it looks like one of Yuuki's regular customers, a teenage girl, is going to blackmail him into dating her, using her new-found knowledge (provided by Shin in bastard mode) that Yuuki is gay. Then nothing comes of that. It's not even mentioned again. Also, at one point, it's mentioned that Tsukada's boss had a habit of disappearing at “inconvenient times” (page 37 on my Nook), causing Tsukada to wonder whether he was really going where he claimed he was going. Nothing ever comes of that either.
I wouldn't call this the cream of the m/m romance novel crop, not by any stretch of the imagination. However, if you can put up with some aspects of it, it's not that bad a read. It's certainly the best of the two DRM-free Digital Manga, Inc. e-book choices I know of.
(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
You know what, though? Better Than a Dream turned out to be an okay read. While I do think there are lots of better books out there, if you're going to try one of DMI's “yaoi novel” offerings, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.
Aspects of the book that worked for me:
- Sakuragi's fresh take on the “grieving widow/widower/lover” trope. Or at least it felt fresh to me – since I usually avoid the trope, it's quite possible that this sort of thing is common in m/m “grieving widower/lover” stories. Anyway, in most books I've read with this trope, the grieving character has some kind of outlet for their grief. In Better Than a Dream, very few people know that Yuuki is gay, much less that he and Tsukada were lovers. Although I didn't always like the way Yuuki acted, in this context I could sort of understand why he acted the way he did. I don't think Yuuki ever had an opportunity to properly grieve, and the one person around him trying to help him through his grief (sort of) had ulterior motives. Yuuki might have continued to keep things as they were, were it not for Kamishiro. Kamishiro was the catalyst who got him to start working through his post-Tsukada feelings.
- Sakuragi tried to write her characters as though they were actual people. None of that “you raped me, but you're hot and it felt good, so I love you” (yes, I'm still a bit angry about Kyoko Wakatsuki's The Selfish Demon King). When bad stuff happened, if affected characters' emotions, and they reacted accordingly, or at least somewhat accordingly. More on that in my "Aspects that didn't work for me" section.
- The mystery of Kamishiro. To be honest, I thought Sakuragi was working up to the revelation that Kamishiro was actually post-magical-reconstructive-surgery-Tsukada. Thankfully, Sakuragi came up with something more realistic, yet still shocking. Bravo.
- The WTF moments. Even when they horrified me, I couldn't help but be morbidly curious about what was going to happen next.
- The mountain-climbing and café aspects. It's not like Sakuragi included a whole lot of detail on these things, but it was still nice to see that the characters had lives outside of having sex or thinking about having sex. I do wonder, though, how Yuuki managed to stay in business. Even if Fuuka had had a better location, I doubt his clientele would have consisted of more than the regulars who had been coming there for years.
Aspects that didn't work for me:
- The weak beginning. Is it even possible for a book to have a weaker beginning? It starts with a strange prologue written primarily from the perspective of a dog. There is a bit of confusing head-hopping in which Sakuragi slips in a little from some random elderly lady's perspective. Then the book switches to Yuuki's perspective. I was left wondering whether the man in the prologue was Shin or Tsukada and had trouble orienting myself until I reread the book's description.
- The “grieving lover” trope. I've mentioned this before on this blog, but I'm not a fan of the “widow/widower” trope, because so often the deceased person is cardboard, either a horrible person or unbelievably perfect. Tsukada was perfect. Yuuki worries that what he feels for Kamishiro is actually due to seeing aspects of Tsukada in him. He eventually comes to the realization that he loves Kamishiro because he is Kamishiro. To be honest, I didn't find the progression from Yuuki's earlier worries to his final revelation to be very believable. It seemed to come down to “good sex = love.”
- Several of the characters could have been fleshed out better. Shin and Kamishiro felt like sketches, at best. They were more fleshed out than Tsukada, but not by much.
- The sex scenes and any references to sexual feelings. They are the source of many laughable lines. Example: “As Shin became a bigger part of his life, Yuuki's feverish body often whispered sweet nothings to his senses.” (pg. 22 on my Nook). There's a lot of reliance on cliches that you'll be familiar with if you've read yaoi manga before, like really drooly kisses – as it turns out, I can take this much better in manga form than novel form. Ick. Also, I'm still not sure, but I think there was a bit where Yuuki used shaving cream as lubricant during sex with Kamishiro. Gah.
- The on-page rape, or near-rape. This whole bullet point counts as a SPOILER, but, to my mind, it's a totally necessary one. Sakuragi sets things up so that there's a bit of a love triangle. Shin is attracted to Yuuki, and Yuuki knows this on some level but refuses to do anything about that knowledge. Yuuki continues his spinelessness by not giving Shin advance warning that he has allowed Kamishiro to live in his home. I thought Shin was perfectly justified in feeling angry at Yuuki. I expected a horrible, tense, ugly fight. What I did not expect was that Shin
- Yuuki's spinelessness. While I at first attributed some of this to not being able to properly deal with his grief, I eventually came to believe that he was just a weak person. His non-handling of the situation with Shin played a big part in how I felt about him.
- Mysteriously abandoned story elements. Sakuragi sets things up so that it looks like one of Yuuki's regular customers, a teenage girl, is going to blackmail him into dating her, using her new-found knowledge (provided by Shin in bastard mode) that Yuuki is gay. Then nothing comes of that. It's not even mentioned again. Also, at one point, it's mentioned that Tsukada's boss had a habit of disappearing at “inconvenient times” (page 37 on my Nook), causing Tsukada to wonder whether he was really going where he claimed he was going. Nothing ever comes of that either.
I wouldn't call this the cream of the m/m romance novel crop, not by any stretch of the imagination. However, if you can put up with some aspects of it, it's not that bad a read. It's certainly the best of the two DRM-free Digital Manga, Inc. e-book choices I know of.
(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
January 13, 2018
After two moves I once again found a bag of old Japanese BL novels and figured I ought to re-read them, as it's been many many years since I saw them last. Several houses ago I used to have two bags, separated by which ones I wanted to keep and which were only so-so. I now only have the one bag, but after re-reading this one I think this may not have been the bag I wanted to keep.
The plot isn't bad, but could have had better execution. For someone dealing with grief and new attraction, I expected more attention to both of those things. Instead, the only attraction that's really given much focus is the nah-better-not between Yuki and his high school best friend, rather than the new love interest. Considering Yuki is grieving the death of his old lover, there really wasn't a need for love triangle among the living characters. Shin could have stayed a likeable, non-romantic friend. Which Yuki really needs more of.
The time skips are very awkward as well, glossing over most of the development I'd rather see in a romance. Also too much focus on near-rape, non-con, and sexual violence. (Not that I really expect better from Japanese romance of any genre/sexuality at this point. But still, it grates and disappoints.)
There are several odd word and phrasing choices. However, since this is a translation, I can't tell if it's the fault of the author or the translator.
Overall: Not the worst romance I've read by far, but still no interest in keeping.
Rating: 2.5 stars, rounding down.
The plot isn't bad, but could have had better execution. For someone dealing with grief and new attraction, I expected more attention to both of those things. Instead, the only attraction that's really given much focus is the nah-better-not between Yuki and his high school best friend, rather than the new love interest. Considering Yuki is grieving the death of his old lover, there really wasn't a need for love triangle among the living characters. Shin could have stayed a likeable, non-romantic friend. Which Yuki really needs more of.
The time skips are very awkward as well, glossing over most of the development I'd rather see in a romance. Also too much focus on near-rape, non-con, and sexual violence. (Not that I really expect better from Japanese romance of any genre/sexuality at this point. But still, it grates and disappoints.)
There are several odd word and phrasing choices. However, since this is a translation, I can't tell if it's the fault of the author or the translator.
Overall: Not the worst romance I've read by far, but still no interest in keeping.
Rating: 2.5 stars, rounding down.
October 30, 2021
This was surprisingly adorable. Compared to how dreadfully problematic most of these early 2000's books are, this one was a little trope-y but overall it was enjoyable and wholesome.
December 23, 2022
Started off strong but then quickly became mediocre. Somehow the characters had full backgrounds yet fell flat especially the best friend who just kept coming and going every few chapters.
January 20, 2024
Better Than a Dream by Raica Sakuragi starts with the point of view of a dog, so that earned the book a star. I almost wish the book stayed in the point of view of the dog because it was a bit more engaging than the point of view of the lead character, Yuuki.
Yuuki is in mourning. He lost his boyfriend, Tsukada, after he passes away during a winter hike. He spends his days manning his small restaurant in the small town by the hiking trail, being flirted at by the local high school girls, and having his "best friend" Shin pretend he isn't pining over Yuuki every time he comes around to the restaurant.
One day, a man named Kamishiro arrives at the restaurant and tries Yuuki's food. He thinks it is okay but could be way better, and deems himself the new chef of the restaurant. Yuuki is thrown off guard and doesn't really appreciate it, but allows Kamishiro to stick around and assert his place as a chef in exchange for room and board. As they spend time together, they grow closer together. Yuuki is drawn to Kamishiro, finding him to be rather familiar in a way that reminds him of Tsukada, but he isn't exactly sure why Kamishiro makes him feel that way.
The story suffers from too many issues, including a rather nonsensical translation that made it hard to keep up with whose POV I was reading things in. I found myself having to reread passages after realizing something was being said by Yuuki or Kamishiro. The characters are also mostly just there with nothing to them. There are hints of personalities there, but the short length of the book and translation really hindered the characters from shining through properly.
Also I really fucking hate Shin. I felt bad for him at first for having unrequited feelings for Yuuki, but then he becomes so vile towards Yuuki because of his jealousy over Kamishiro. And that is before he attempts to non-consensually assault Yuuki. So yeah, screw Shin.
There is also an awkward part of the book that made me really confused, but I understood what Sakuragi was trying to get at with the scene. Close to the end of the book, one of the high school girls that comes to Yuuki's restaurant confesses her feelings to him. It's a contrast to Shin's vile behavior and also to Kamishiro's guilt-ridden feelings. As she is ranting out her confession to Yuuki, Yuuki starts talking about Kamishiro. The transition between her confession and Yuuki's sudden need to talk about Kamishiro is so jarring. I understand what was happening here. Yuuki was thinking about Kamishiro and in the midst of this young girl confessing her feelings, Yuuki's own feelings for Kamishiro are heightened and become the only thing he can think about. The text of the book doesn't do a good job at conveying this, though. I'm not sure if this was caused by the poor translation and the transition between the dialogue worked better in Japanese or if Sakuragi just...flubbed the delivery of this part, but it is one of many moments that just didn't play out correctly in Better Than a Dream.
The best part about this book is that the story focuses on two consenting adults in their 30s. Also, the story treats Shin's non-con act the way it should be treated as--a vile, disgusting thing that should never be awarded or seen as romantic. Also, the lead is openly gay. A lot of these June books by DMP often lean on the trope of the leads saying at some point "I'm having gay sex but I'm not gay" or any variation on that. It feeds into the "forbidden" nature of these trope-y yaoi novels and also serves to further fetishize gay men or the idea of gay sex by men. This is why this book is refreshing. It doesn't try to downplay the sexual orientation of the lead or make them seem novel. These are just regular people living their lives, trying to not be depressed.
Overall, it wasn't a terrible book. I didn't hate it after I finished it, but I certainly didn't love it.
Yuuki is in mourning. He lost his boyfriend, Tsukada, after he passes away during a winter hike. He spends his days manning his small restaurant in the small town by the hiking trail, being flirted at by the local high school girls, and having his "best friend" Shin pretend he isn't pining over Yuuki every time he comes around to the restaurant.
One day, a man named Kamishiro arrives at the restaurant and tries Yuuki's food. He thinks it is okay but could be way better, and deems himself the new chef of the restaurant. Yuuki is thrown off guard and doesn't really appreciate it, but allows Kamishiro to stick around and assert his place as a chef in exchange for room and board. As they spend time together, they grow closer together. Yuuki is drawn to Kamishiro, finding him to be rather familiar in a way that reminds him of Tsukada, but he isn't exactly sure why Kamishiro makes him feel that way.
The story suffers from too many issues, including a rather nonsensical translation that made it hard to keep up with whose POV I was reading things in. I found myself having to reread passages after realizing something was being said by Yuuki or Kamishiro. The characters are also mostly just there with nothing to them. There are hints of personalities there, but the short length of the book and translation really hindered the characters from shining through properly.
Also I really fucking hate Shin. I felt bad for him at first for having unrequited feelings for Yuuki, but then he becomes so vile towards Yuuki because of his jealousy over Kamishiro. And that is before he attempts to non-consensually assault Yuuki. So yeah, screw Shin.
There is also an awkward part of the book that made me really confused, but I understood what Sakuragi was trying to get at with the scene. Close to the end of the book, one of the high school girls that comes to Yuuki's restaurant confesses her feelings to him. It's a contrast to Shin's vile behavior and also to Kamishiro's guilt-ridden feelings. As she is ranting out her confession to Yuuki, Yuuki starts talking about Kamishiro. The transition between her confession and Yuuki's sudden need to talk about Kamishiro is so jarring. I understand what was happening here. Yuuki was thinking about Kamishiro and in the midst of this young girl confessing her feelings, Yuuki's own feelings for Kamishiro are heightened and become the only thing he can think about. The text of the book doesn't do a good job at conveying this, though. I'm not sure if this was caused by the poor translation and the transition between the dialogue worked better in Japanese or if Sakuragi just...flubbed the delivery of this part, but it is one of many moments that just didn't play out correctly in Better Than a Dream.
The best part about this book is that the story focuses on two consenting adults in their 30s. Also, the story treats Shin's non-con act the way it should be treated as--a vile, disgusting thing that should never be awarded or seen as romantic. Also, the lead is openly gay. A lot of these June books by DMP often lean on the trope of the leads saying at some point "I'm having gay sex but I'm not gay" or any variation on that. It feeds into the "forbidden" nature of these trope-y yaoi novels and also serves to further fetishize gay men or the idea of gay sex by men. This is why this book is refreshing. It doesn't try to downplay the sexual orientation of the lead or make them seem novel. These are just regular people living their lives, trying to not be depressed.
Overall, it wasn't a terrible book. I didn't hate it after I finished it, but I certainly didn't love it.
January 2, 2014
I’m very sad about this story because I was drawn in not only by the art, but the writing (at first). I really liked how it started, liked how it was written in the dog’s point of view as he watched the stranger come into town, and liked how we were introduced to the important characters before we learned about Tsukada’s death and before Kamishiro and Yuuko met. I think it started to go horribly wrong with Shin. Now to be fair, I expected some love triangle tension, and part of me was even prepared for some attempted non-con, but the way the situation was handled afterwards just turned me off. Masturbating after almost being raped? What?
I absolutely hated how many times something else would come up that really didn’t need to. Kamishiro “killing” Tsukada wasn’t necessary, there was already enough material to use with Yuuko using Kamishiro as a replacement . And mentioning Tsukada’s parents and the homosexuality issue just opened up something that didn’t get nearly enough time to be developed. Having to deal with your lover’s family if they aren’t very accepting, especially after said lover dies, is a huge deal. Either flesh it out more or don’t even bring it up, because I wanted more of that but it lasted less than a page. And if Kamishiro feels so guilty, why not let us see him climbing the mountain successfully and returning home? I felt a little ripped off when I turned the page and everything was already done.
I don’t believe that Yuuko was that torn up about Tsukada. I feel that this book didn’t properly convey Yuuko’s feelings. Anytime he was thinking about Tsukada it kind of felt forced, like the author was sort of saying, “Oh wait, I forgot about Tsukada so here’s a quick paragraph with Yuuko angsting!”
The writing itself was inconsistent: sometimes, details were described really well. Other times it felt overwritten and jam-packed full of details. And then there were times when the details were just too simple (“drunk as a skunk” for example). The story also desperately needed a proofreader, a best friend to read it over before it hit the press, something! A few slips are o.k., but I draw the line when incorrect names are used in a sentence. This is not a bad fan sub, thank you very much.
The sex was just awful. There‘s no better way to say it. The cheesy lines were one thing, but the situations themselves would be ridiculous. The hair cutting scene that lead to sex? That started out fine until the shaving cream incident. Then Kamishiro started to put aftershave on his face while still inside of Yuuko. That was just beyond ridiculous and at some point I stopped laughing and started to wonder why in the world I was still reading the story.
This story started as something enjoyable but quickly slid downhill, which is unfortunate because I thought it had a lot of potential. Towards the end I found myself putting it down several times and rolling my eyes, wishing that it would just be over. If you want to read something hot and sexy about two guys gettin’ it on in a small, mountain town… this isn’t the book for you. If you want to laugh at really, really bad euphemisms, get confused at bad grammatical errors, discover why shaving cream shouldn’t be used as lubrication, and scream in frustration at an uke who blames himself for nearly being raped… then this is the novel for you.
Original, longer review here: http://www.mania.com/better-dream-vol...
I absolutely hated how many times something else would come up that really didn’t need to. Kamishiro “killing” Tsukada wasn’t necessary, there was already enough material to use with Yuuko using Kamishiro as a replacement . And mentioning Tsukada’s parents and the homosexuality issue just opened up something that didn’t get nearly enough time to be developed. Having to deal with your lover’s family if they aren’t very accepting, especially after said lover dies, is a huge deal. Either flesh it out more or don’t even bring it up, because I wanted more of that but it lasted less than a page. And if Kamishiro feels so guilty, why not let us see him climbing the mountain successfully and returning home? I felt a little ripped off when I turned the page and everything was already done.
I don’t believe that Yuuko was that torn up about Tsukada. I feel that this book didn’t properly convey Yuuko’s feelings. Anytime he was thinking about Tsukada it kind of felt forced, like the author was sort of saying, “Oh wait, I forgot about Tsukada so here’s a quick paragraph with Yuuko angsting!”
The writing itself was inconsistent: sometimes, details were described really well. Other times it felt overwritten and jam-packed full of details. And then there were times when the details were just too simple (“drunk as a skunk” for example). The story also desperately needed a proofreader, a best friend to read it over before it hit the press, something! A few slips are o.k., but I draw the line when incorrect names are used in a sentence. This is not a bad fan sub, thank you very much.
The sex was just awful. There‘s no better way to say it. The cheesy lines were one thing, but the situations themselves would be ridiculous. The hair cutting scene that lead to sex? That started out fine until the shaving cream incident. Then Kamishiro started to put aftershave on his face while still inside of Yuuko. That was just beyond ridiculous and at some point I stopped laughing and started to wonder why in the world I was still reading the story.
This story started as something enjoyable but quickly slid downhill, which is unfortunate because I thought it had a lot of potential. Towards the end I found myself putting it down several times and rolling my eyes, wishing that it would just be over. If you want to read something hot and sexy about two guys gettin’ it on in a small, mountain town… this isn’t the book for you. If you want to laugh at really, really bad euphemisms, get confused at bad grammatical errors, discover why shaving cream shouldn’t be used as lubrication, and scream in frustration at an uke who blames himself for nearly being raped… then this is the novel for you.
Original, longer review here: http://www.mania.com/better-dream-vol...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2010
Yuuki owns a cafe in a small town near a popular mountain for climbing. For two years he lived with his mountain climber lover Tsukada in gay bliss until Tsukada was killed in an avalanche. A year later a high class chef with a limp shows up and more or less bullies his way into a job and room and board. (as per many yaoi themes) Yuuki goes with the flow and he likes Kamishiro so they get along. Meanwhile Yuuki’s friend Shin has been hanging around for the last year, obviously waiting for his chance with Yuuki but when he assumes Yuuki and Kamishiro are sleeping together he gets drunk and nearly rapes Yuuki which spurs Yuuki to make a move on Kamishiro. Things are going well until Shin reveals that Kamishiro was one of the people on the mountain when Tsukada died and it seems Yuuki has been more or less pretending Kamishiro is his old lover as they resemble each other to recreate what he lost. Conflict ensues until he realizes he loves Kamishiro for himself and not because he’s a replacement. On the whole this was a pretty good book but with a few issues. Yuuki is a bit of a mess, he figures it’s his fault his friend almost raped him because he should have slept with him sooner. Huh? WTF is up with that? Is that a Japanese thing? And there is a bit of hopping around in time as he remembers his life with Tsukada and what happened when he died, but it was an okay yaoi novel which will be starting it’s world tour shortly.
August 9, 2011
This was a bit frustrating to read because it was one of those books that really could have been so much better. The story itself is full of angst-and-romance potential, but for me it was ruined by the many jumps in the story that were a bit difficult to make sense of. Nevermind the jumps in perspective or the avalanche - pardon the pun - of proverbs. Or those really, really bad euphemisms used during the sex scenes (which, again, were hot in principle - I definitely like the author's imagination, it's just her writing doesn't quite match up to it).
In any case, I've read worse, but I've also read better.
In any case, I've read worse, but I've also read better.
November 7, 2011
Didn't really expect to really like this story (why the heck am I reading it in the first place?!) but--apparently--I was wrong. I like it!
Not the typical storyline as other yaoi I read so far. The story involves the relationship between (among?) Yuuki, Tsukada, Shin, and Kamishiro. There's a reason why I put those name in that order *winks*. To find out, you gotta read the story!!!
There, I recommend Raica Sakuragi sensei to anyone interest in reading BL/yaoi story. ;D
Not the typical storyline as other yaoi I read so far. The story involves the relationship between (among?) Yuuki, Tsukada, Shin, and Kamishiro. There's a reason why I put those name in that order *winks*. To find out, you gotta read the story!!!
There, I recommend Raica Sakuragi sensei to anyone interest in reading BL/yaoi story. ;D
May 28, 2012
2 stars just because I really really liked Shin. I started reading this with high expectations but, by the time I finished it, I ended disappointed. I thought there will be more drama and angst but I was wrong.
October 9, 2011
Good story, well thought out. There were some editting issues, but nothing horribly bad or distracting. The artwork is gorgeous.
April 19, 2012
This was a totally entertaining love story. It was Japanese but I got a kick out of it when they used American idioms.
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