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Saving Seymour
In a parallel world, black-and-white vision is the norm, and only a small minority who meet their Soulmate can see in color.
Ivan Notte has just met his Soulmate, and he isn’t happy about it. Maybe he could have handled seeing the world in color if his Soulmate hadn’t turned out to be a troubled artist. Winston Jinx is everything Ivan prides himself on hating. He’s a painter (so, without a real job), an activist (so, entitled), and he’s a giant smartass. Ivan knows things aren’t going to work, especially given Winston’s passion for the local orca pods that Galaxsea Theme Parks (Ivan’s company) stole its star attraction from.
Winston is equally miffed when he meets Ivan. After all, Winston is way too busy planning to jailbreak Seymour the orca to deal with some bigot who sneers at the word “orange.” And yet, said bigot keeps finding excuses to show up at Winston’s apartment with questions about the wild orcas, why Winston isn’t bothered by seeing in color, and what mysterious project is keeping Winston’s fridge stocked with salmon.
If Ivan is already slightly disturbed by his own infatuation, he’s mortified by it when he finds out about Winston’s plans to free Seymour. Not because he’s worried about the theme park—Galaxsea’s corporate culture is nightmarish—but because his coworker and ex, Mike Swan, would love an excuse to rid Seattle of one more activist, and he has already demonstrated his personal disdain for Winston.
Saving Seymour is an adult coming-of-age story about the trials that come with choosing happiness, discovering one’s sexuality, and love’s power for change.
Ivan Notte has just met his Soulmate, and he isn’t happy about it. Maybe he could have handled seeing the world in color if his Soulmate hadn’t turned out to be a troubled artist. Winston Jinx is everything Ivan prides himself on hating. He’s a painter (so, without a real job), an activist (so, entitled), and he’s a giant smartass. Ivan knows things aren’t going to work, especially given Winston’s passion for the local orca pods that Galaxsea Theme Parks (Ivan’s company) stole its star attraction from.
Winston is equally miffed when he meets Ivan. After all, Winston is way too busy planning to jailbreak Seymour the orca to deal with some bigot who sneers at the word “orange.” And yet, said bigot keeps finding excuses to show up at Winston’s apartment with questions about the wild orcas, why Winston isn’t bothered by seeing in color, and what mysterious project is keeping Winston’s fridge stocked with salmon.
If Ivan is already slightly disturbed by his own infatuation, he’s mortified by it when he finds out about Winston’s plans to free Seymour. Not because he’s worried about the theme park—Galaxsea’s corporate culture is nightmarish—but because his coworker and ex, Mike Swan, would love an excuse to rid Seattle of one more activist, and he has already demonstrated his personal disdain for Winston.
Saving Seymour is an adult coming-of-age story about the trials that come with choosing happiness, discovering one’s sexuality, and love’s power for change.
- GenresRomanceContemporaryLGBT
310 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2021
2 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
L.N. Loch
2 books9 followerswriter and troublemaker. currently dissertating in the mountains somewhere. i study damn good literature, often out of print.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 11, 2021
I was provided with a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
3.3 stars
༻✧༺
This was fluffy, wholesome goodness.
Ivan works at Galaxsea, a huge corporation that mistreats animals for the entertainment of tourists.
Winston is a painter and an activist. He has ambitious ideas, but when he discovers he's Bonded to Ivan, he is forced to figure out his new life.
The plot of this book revolves around an orca named Seymour and Winston's struggle to free him. Ivan isn't willing at first, but as they grow to know each other better, they change in big ways.
I wasn't crazy about the plot, mostly because of Winston and his rude friends. I didn't like how everyone acted like Ivan owed Winston something, like he had to give up his job to be back with Winston. It was kind of toxic, to be honest. You shouldn't have to give up your entire future just to date someone. The main conflict (Ivan working for Galaxsea and not being straight-up rude to a person in a position of power there) wasn't that big of a deal to me and everyone overreacted. Ivan was just protecting his job. If you want to survive, you can't be rude to your boss. And no one should expect you to be, even if the boss is a jerk. Winston and his mean friends shouldn't have held that against Ivan.
Only a small fraction of people are Bonded in this alternate world. Only the Bonded can see color. The worldbuilding was really intriguing and I liked how the activism was centered on the people who can see color and the struggles they face.
However, I have never been a fan of the whole "soulmates" trope, and this book didn't change my mind. If two characters are destined to be together, where's the conflict?? There's no tension or angst or slow-burn. And the romance didn't convince me. Winston said he loved Ivan after maybe five conversations and one date. It was excused because of the bond, but.... *unimpressed*
I did appreciate that the characters were flawed. They all had pretty big problems, but I think those could have been executed in a better way.
I also really liked the writing. It was dryly sarcastic; a tongue-in-cheek writing style that perfectly captured the personalities of the characters and the mood of the book.
Overall, I liked this book well enough, but I wasn't crazy about it, mostly because of the lackluster and sometimes-toxic romance.
༻✧༺
3.3 stars
༻✧༺
This was fluffy, wholesome goodness.
Ivan works at Galaxsea, a huge corporation that mistreats animals for the entertainment of tourists.
Winston is a painter and an activist. He has ambitious ideas, but when he discovers he's Bonded to Ivan, he is forced to figure out his new life.
The plot of this book revolves around an orca named Seymour and Winston's struggle to free him. Ivan isn't willing at first, but as they grow to know each other better, they change in big ways.
I wasn't crazy about the plot, mostly because of Winston and his rude friends. I didn't like how everyone acted like Ivan owed Winston something, like he had to give up his job to be back with Winston. It was kind of toxic, to be honest. You shouldn't have to give up your entire future just to date someone. The main conflict (Ivan working for Galaxsea and not being straight-up rude to a person in a position of power there) wasn't that big of a deal to me and everyone overreacted. Ivan was just protecting his job. If you want to survive, you can't be rude to your boss. And no one should expect you to be, even if the boss is a jerk. Winston and his mean friends shouldn't have held that against Ivan.
Only a small fraction of people are Bonded in this alternate world. Only the Bonded can see color. The worldbuilding was really intriguing and I liked how the activism was centered on the people who can see color and the struggles they face.
However, I have never been a fan of the whole "soulmates" trope, and this book didn't change my mind. If two characters are destined to be together, where's the conflict?? There's no tension or angst or slow-burn. And the romance didn't convince me. Winston said he loved Ivan after maybe five conversations and one date. It was excused because of the bond, but.... *unimpressed*
I did appreciate that the characters were flawed. They all had pretty big problems, but I think those could have been executed in a better way.
I also really liked the writing. It was dryly sarcastic; a tongue-in-cheek writing style that perfectly captured the personalities of the characters and the mood of the book.
Overall, I liked this book well enough, but I wasn't crazy about it, mostly because of the lackluster and sometimes-toxic romance.
༻✧༺
June 25, 2025
⭐4.5⭐
🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈
Vlog & Review: https://youtu.be/Xmw00Rr8YNI
It's gay. It's glorious. It's funny and sweet and fluffy like cotton candy.
In my mind, this was playing out like a Pixar movie. Like Ratatouille style. And it elevated the reading experience that much more. The characters are so lovable but have serious flaws. Just when you think you're frustrated with them, they recognize their errors and do their best not to make the same mistakes again. I adore Ivan and Winston. Their relationship made me smile and dance in my seat.
If you like Red, White and Royal Blue, Winston & Ivan might warm your heart as well.
A quote that touched me so much I had to include it:
"There are some people the system chronically fails. There are some people who aren't born into money, or a body that works right, or parents that love them. And sometimes, when you live in a system rigged against you, in a never-ending uphill battle where everywhere you turn you're reminded of what you should have but don't, sometimes it's all you can do to escape to one of the few places that system doesn't exist."
🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈🐳🏳🌈
Vlog & Review: https://youtu.be/Xmw00Rr8YNI
It's gay. It's glorious. It's funny and sweet and fluffy like cotton candy.
In my mind, this was playing out like a Pixar movie. Like Ratatouille style. And it elevated the reading experience that much more. The characters are so lovable but have serious flaws. Just when you think you're frustrated with them, they recognize their errors and do their best not to make the same mistakes again. I adore Ivan and Winston. Their relationship made me smile and dance in my seat.
If you like Red, White and Royal Blue, Winston & Ivan might warm your heart as well.
A quote that touched me so much I had to include it:
"There are some people the system chronically fails. There are some people who aren't born into money, or a body that works right, or parents that love them. And sometimes, when you live in a system rigged against you, in a never-ending uphill battle where everywhere you turn you're reminded of what you should have but don't, sometimes it's all you can do to escape to one of the few places that system doesn't exist."
June 3, 2021
i am HERE for the "world-is-black-and-white-until-you-meet-your-soulmate" au
____
Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the eARC for review!
Winston and Ivan are polar opposites - Ivan works for Galaxsea, a marine theme park that has come under fire due to a recent Black Fish type documentary, and Winston is one of those protesting for the release of Galaxsea’s main attraction, Seymour the orca. When the two bump into each other, they are shocked to see that their once black-and-white world is starting to gain colour, which can only mean one thing: Ivan and Winston are Soulmates.
This was a fun book! I especially enjoyed Ivan’s arc, how we see him shift from small-minded, cold, and corporate to the softie Winston brings out in him. He makes mistakes. He has a lot of self-doubt. He doesn’t know how to be worthy of Winston. But through a lot of trial and error, he figures it out.
Winston was a great foil for Ivan. The sunshine to his brood. But I loved the way the two almost switch roles; in the beginning, Ivan is the “strong” one, the one who never really expresses himself, and Winston is the bleeding-heart artist. By the end, we see Winston bravely taking charge of their mission to save Seymour, and Ivan to be emotional one as he tries to make up for his mistakes.
All this aside, there were a few things that stood out to me as less than desired. Loch is clearly a very talented writer and has a great vision for their stories, but I found the writing style a bit superfluous. The sentences, as I’ll try to replicate now, have a way of being crafted that, while some may enjoy the stilted flow, I found distracting. Sometimes I’d have to reread a paragraph more than once to follow.
I wish we’d seen a bit more of the reluctance on Ivan’s part in following through with the bond. We have these two polar-opposite characters who, for all intents and purposes, shouldn’t work together, and I would have liked the build-up to the relationship be a bit more tumultuous. As it were, the two run into each other one day, seek each other out (sort of) the next, and by day 3 they are in love. Loch attributes this to the fact that they are Bonded, and things move quickly with your Soulmate, but what endeared me to this relationship was how these two characters could possibly make it work. Ivan gets over his bigotry a bit too quickly for me.
Still, a very cute novel with a great concept and characters!
3.5 stars.
____
Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the eARC for review!
He hoped he wasn’t thinking about that word he’d used earlier: “Soulmates.” He’d heard the term used before for pairs of Seers, but of course, there was no scientific stock in it. It was nothing more than the PC way of saying you were Bonded. People Ivan liked just called it like it was and said “Mated.” If there was one thing he didn’t believe in, it was self-delusion.
Winston and Ivan are polar opposites - Ivan works for Galaxsea, a marine theme park that has come under fire due to a recent Black Fish type documentary, and Winston is one of those protesting for the release of Galaxsea’s main attraction, Seymour the orca. When the two bump into each other, they are shocked to see that their once black-and-white world is starting to gain colour, which can only mean one thing: Ivan and Winston are Soulmates.
This was a fun book! I especially enjoyed Ivan’s arc, how we see him shift from small-minded, cold, and corporate to the softie Winston brings out in him. He makes mistakes. He has a lot of self-doubt. He doesn’t know how to be worthy of Winston. But through a lot of trial and error, he figures it out.
Winston was a great foil for Ivan. The sunshine to his brood. But I loved the way the two almost switch roles; in the beginning, Ivan is the “strong” one, the one who never really expresses himself, and Winston is the bleeding-heart artist. By the end, we see Winston bravely taking charge of their mission to save Seymour, and Ivan to be emotional one as he tries to make up for his mistakes.
All this aside, there were a few things that stood out to me as less than desired. Loch is clearly a very talented writer and has a great vision for their stories, but I found the writing style a bit superfluous. The sentences, as I’ll try to replicate now, have a way of being crafted that, while some may enjoy the stilted flow, I found distracting. Sometimes I’d have to reread a paragraph more than once to follow.
I wish we’d seen a bit more of the reluctance on Ivan’s part in following through with the bond. We have these two polar-opposite characters who, for all intents and purposes, shouldn’t work together, and I would have liked the build-up to the relationship be a bit more tumultuous. As it were, the two run into each other one day, seek each other out (sort of) the next, and by day 3 they are in love. Loch attributes this to the fact that they are Bonded, and things move quickly with your Soulmate, but what endeared me to this relationship was how these two characters could possibly make it work. Ivan gets over his bigotry a bit too quickly for me.
Still, a very cute novel with a great concept and characters!
3.5 stars.
May 21, 2021
2.5
Saving Seymour was one of the books that I was super excited to start reading. The cover was charming and the premise intriguing. But I found myself picking the short end of the stick. The world-building was not my issue with this story. I found the premise of everything being colorless was unique. The discrimination of colored vision was realistic of discrimination that we find in our society. My issue with this book was the characters and their relationship. Ivan was extremely flawed and his overall attitude was frustrating for most of the book. (I know he had a background that lead him to that behavior but it was repetitive in the story). The fact that both characters fall in love with each other after three days also bugged me a lot. Love at first sight soulmate or not isn't my preferred romance trope. I was expecting a slower pace for the romance, especially since they are enemies. Overall, this had a good concept but I was disappointed with the final result.
Thank you, NetGalley and L.N. Loch for the arc.
Saving Seymour was one of the books that I was super excited to start reading. The cover was charming and the premise intriguing. But I found myself picking the short end of the stick. The world-building was not my issue with this story. I found the premise of everything being colorless was unique. The discrimination of colored vision was realistic of discrimination that we find in our society. My issue with this book was the characters and their relationship. Ivan was extremely flawed and his overall attitude was frustrating for most of the book. (I know he had a background that lead him to that behavior but it was repetitive in the story). The fact that both characters fall in love with each other after three days also bugged me a lot. Love at first sight soulmate or not isn't my preferred romance trope. I was expecting a slower pace for the romance, especially since they are enemies. Overall, this had a good concept but I was disappointed with the final result.
Thank you, NetGalley and L.N. Loch for the arc.
April 1, 2021
What a wonderful and intriguing debut novel this was! I’ve never read anything quite like it, as it is such an imaginative world, and I think the author did such a great job building that you knew exactly what it would be like to live there. I found myself wondering often what it would be like to see color for the very first time, and it’s just completely unimaginable to me. Our two MCs are hit with this exact scenario, and the way they handle it couldn’t be more night and day. For Winston, the activist, artist, and general free spirit it’s beautiful, novel, and wonderful. But for poor Ivan, who has made himself blind to pretty much everything in his life, it’s overwhelming and causes him to rethink everything he’s ever thought. This book is a sweet romance (fade to black, so don’t go looking for your smut here), an interesting take on politics, and even a story of saving a whale; but, while I adored Winston so very much, I think at its heart this is Ivan’s story. A story about opening your eyed to injustice, facing hard truths about yourself, and doing the right thing while forgetting about the consequences. Overall it was definitely a story I enjoyed and I look forward to any work from this author in the future.
May 9, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and the L.N. Loch for the ARC of this story!
Ivan is a pretty miserable man that works for a miserable company (ala SeaWorld) that mistreats all its animals. He has some not-great pre-conceived notions about a LOT of people and things, and he is absolutely a flawed character. He's set in his ways and a complete rule-follower that would rather fade away than be seen. And yet, I found myself feeling for him and hoping he would just OPEN HIS EYES to see what was really going on around him.
Winston, on the other hand, is a whole mess. He's loud and messy and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, consequences be damned. He's determined to save a whale names Seymour that GalaxySea is mistreating. He is also kind of stupid (affectionate) and far too forgiving, but I adored Winston from the get-go.
When these two bump into one other- quite literally, and begin to see colors for the first time, they figure out that they're soulmates. Which, hello, one of my favorite tropes!
What follows is the two of them falling in love and finding themselves and facing some harsh truths about who they are as people. And man, Ivan kind of sucks as a person sometimes. Oh, and they might also be determined to break a five-ton whale out of a tank.
This was a super fun, at times angsty and FRUSTRATING read. It wasn't perfect, for sure, and I cursed out loud a few times at some of the things the characters did (hello, Winston, you were well within your rights to make that apology go on FAR longer, sir) but overall, I enjoyed it!
TW for gaslighting, homophobia-related storylines, and a shitty character named Mike. Honestly, fuck that guy.
Ivan is a pretty miserable man that works for a miserable company (ala SeaWorld) that mistreats all its animals. He has some not-great pre-conceived notions about a LOT of people and things, and he is absolutely a flawed character. He's set in his ways and a complete rule-follower that would rather fade away than be seen. And yet, I found myself feeling for him and hoping he would just OPEN HIS EYES to see what was really going on around him.
Winston, on the other hand, is a whole mess. He's loud and messy and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, consequences be damned. He's determined to save a whale names Seymour that GalaxySea is mistreating. He is also kind of stupid (affectionate) and far too forgiving, but I adored Winston from the get-go.
When these two bump into one other- quite literally, and begin to see colors for the first time, they figure out that they're soulmates. Which, hello, one of my favorite tropes!
What follows is the two of them falling in love and finding themselves and facing some harsh truths about who they are as people. And man, Ivan kind of sucks as a person sometimes. Oh, and they might also be determined to break a five-ton whale out of a tank.
This was a super fun, at times angsty and FRUSTRATING read. It wasn't perfect, for sure, and I cursed out loud a few times at some of the things the characters did (hello, Winston, you were well within your rights to make that apology go on FAR longer, sir) but overall, I enjoyed it!
TW for gaslighting, homophobia-related storylines, and a shitty character named Mike. Honestly, fuck that guy.
September 5, 2021
This book alarmingly similar to the movie Free Willy. I was really disappointed to realise this after finishing what I had thought was an okay book.
I was sent a copy by the author and am wondering why she didn't make an attempt to change the story. But, as in the film, this follows a boy (Winston) who becomes fixated on freeing an orca from captivity. In the movie, the boy forms a bond (labelled a 'soulmate') with the whale, but in this book that soulmate-like relationship has been personified in the character of Ivan. Winston even shares the orphan-associated themes of not being loved by his parents.
The story begins with Winston, a struggling artist, bumping into Ivan, who works at the theme park where Seymour (the whale) is kept. In this world you can't see colour until you meet your soulmate, so both boys begin seeing in colour and find themselves drawn to each other in a insta-love sort of way. However, this cool concept of seeing colour is forgotten about after the initial event and the whale narrative takes over. The romance is rushed but sweet, and if you wanted a light read that isn't overly fleshed out it works. But the driving plotline is Winston dedicating all his time and money into breaking Seymour out of the park, which again is a shame because the colour thing is cool but ends up being largely irrelevant to the plot.
Little to no details have been altered with the jailbreaking being shockingly similar to how it occurs in the film. I can't honestly rate this the higher rating I would have done due to this problem, which is a shame because this book had queer representation and tackles concepts of prejudices. This is really just a retelling of Free Willy with the addition of a queer romance. If you're going to write a 'retelling', it needs to be branded as one.
I was sent a copy by the author and am wondering why she didn't make an attempt to change the story. But, as in the film, this follows a boy (Winston) who becomes fixated on freeing an orca from captivity. In the movie, the boy forms a bond (labelled a 'soulmate') with the whale, but in this book that soulmate-like relationship has been personified in the character of Ivan. Winston even shares the orphan-associated themes of not being loved by his parents.
The story begins with Winston, a struggling artist, bumping into Ivan, who works at the theme park where Seymour (the whale) is kept. In this world you can't see colour until you meet your soulmate, so both boys begin seeing in colour and find themselves drawn to each other in a insta-love sort of way. However, this cool concept of seeing colour is forgotten about after the initial event and the whale narrative takes over. The romance is rushed but sweet, and if you wanted a light read that isn't overly fleshed out it works. But the driving plotline is Winston dedicating all his time and money into breaking Seymour out of the park, which again is a shame because the colour thing is cool but ends up being largely irrelevant to the plot.
Little to no details have been altered with the jailbreaking being shockingly similar to how it occurs in the film. I can't honestly rate this the higher rating I would have done due to this problem, which is a shame because this book had queer representation and tackles concepts of prejudices. This is really just a retelling of Free Willy with the addition of a queer romance. If you're going to write a 'retelling', it needs to be branded as one.
May 9, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and L.N. Loch for the ARC of this story!
Ivan is a pretty miserable man that works for a miserable company (ala SeaWorld) that mistreats all its animals. He has some not-great pre-conceived notions about a LOT of people and things, and he is absolutely a flawed character. He's set in his ways and a complete rule follower that would rather face away than be seen. And yet, I found myself feeling for him and hoping he would just OPEN HIS EYES to see what was really going on around him.
Winston, on the other hand, is a whole mess. He's loud and messy and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, consequences be damned. He's determined to save a whale names Seymour that GalaxySea is mistreating. He is also kind of stupid and far too forgiving, but I adored Winston from the get-go.
When these two bump into one other- quite literally, and begin to see colors for the first time, they figure out that they're soulmates. Which, hello, one of my favorite tropes!
What follows is the two of them falling in love and finding themselves and facing some harsh truths about who they are as people. And man, Ivan kind of sucks as a person sometimes. Oh, and they might also be determined to break a five-ton whale out of a tank.
This was a super fun, at times angsty and FRUSTRATING read. It wasn't perfect, for sure, and I cursed out loud a few times at some of the things the characters did (hello, Winston, you were well within your rights to make that apology go on FAR longer, sir) but overall, I enjoyed it!
TW for gaslighting, homophobia-related storylines, and a shitty character named Mike. Honestly, fuck that guy.
Ivan is a pretty miserable man that works for a miserable company (ala SeaWorld) that mistreats all its animals. He has some not-great pre-conceived notions about a LOT of people and things, and he is absolutely a flawed character. He's set in his ways and a complete rule follower that would rather face away than be seen. And yet, I found myself feeling for him and hoping he would just OPEN HIS EYES to see what was really going on around him.
Winston, on the other hand, is a whole mess. He's loud and messy and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, consequences be damned. He's determined to save a whale names Seymour that GalaxySea is mistreating. He is also kind of stupid and far too forgiving, but I adored Winston from the get-go.
When these two bump into one other- quite literally, and begin to see colors for the first time, they figure out that they're soulmates. Which, hello, one of my favorite tropes!
What follows is the two of them falling in love and finding themselves and facing some harsh truths about who they are as people. And man, Ivan kind of sucks as a person sometimes. Oh, and they might also be determined to break a five-ton whale out of a tank.
This was a super fun, at times angsty and FRUSTRATING read. It wasn't perfect, for sure, and I cursed out loud a few times at some of the things the characters did (hello, Winston, you were well within your rights to make that apology go on FAR longer, sir) but overall, I enjoyed it!
TW for gaslighting, homophobia-related storylines, and a shitty character named Mike. Honestly, fuck that guy.
June 29, 2021
𝗜𝘃𝗮𝗻 is a worker at Galaxsea, a corporation that abuses animals and takes them away from their homes for tourists to see. 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻 is a painter and activist who just wants to free Seymour, an orca who is currently stuck at Galaxsea.
This novel started out well enough but the further on I read, the more I found myself not enjoying it. It first caught my eye because of it's cute concept and cover. Needless to say I was quite disappointed.
Let's get the good parts out of the way.
The worldbuilding is very interesting, in this world everyone sees black and white until Bonded. Only a small fraction of people Bond in their lifetime. It was interesting to see how the Bonded people were treated and how the activism played along with that.
I really enjoyed the writing style and how it fit with the story and characters. The characters themselves aren't my favorite though I liked how Ivan and Winston balanced each other out. It's also pretty easy to fly through this book.
My main problem with Saving Seymour was everyone's reactions to the main conflict. It wasn't a huge deal that Ivan worked at Galaxsea in my opinion. Winston's friends expected him to quit his job over someone who he'd known for about three days which is just unrealistic. The boss there was of course a horrible person but they shouldn't have made him feel bad about not losing his main source of income for Winston.
The soulmate trope isn't one of my favorites but if done well it's pretty enjoyable, I was quite neutral about it in this novel.
The characters have their flaws which I can appreciate but overall think could've been dealt with better.
Overall, this wasn't a bad read and I'd probably still recommend this to fans of the soulmate trope, although hesitantly.
3 stars.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙓𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.
This novel started out well enough but the further on I read, the more I found myself not enjoying it. It first caught my eye because of it's cute concept and cover. Needless to say I was quite disappointed.
Let's get the good parts out of the way.
The worldbuilding is very interesting, in this world everyone sees black and white until Bonded. Only a small fraction of people Bond in their lifetime. It was interesting to see how the Bonded people were treated and how the activism played along with that.
I really enjoyed the writing style and how it fit with the story and characters. The characters themselves aren't my favorite though I liked how Ivan and Winston balanced each other out. It's also pretty easy to fly through this book.
My main problem with Saving Seymour was everyone's reactions to the main conflict. It wasn't a huge deal that Ivan worked at Galaxsea in my opinion. Winston's friends expected him to quit his job over someone who he'd known for about three days which is just unrealistic. The boss there was of course a horrible person but they shouldn't have made him feel bad about not losing his main source of income for Winston.
The soulmate trope isn't one of my favorites but if done well it's pretty enjoyable, I was quite neutral about it in this novel.
The characters have their flaws which I can appreciate but overall think could've been dealt with better.
Overall, this wasn't a bad read and I'd probably still recommend this to fans of the soulmate trope, although hesitantly.
3 stars.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙓𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.
June 22, 2021
Content Warning: animal abuse, emotional and physical abuse
3.5/5 ⭐
Saving Seymour is set in world of black and white that can only be brought into technicolor by finding your soulmate. You would think most people would be happy about finding their match. Ivan Notte is not most people. But, after he literally runs into his soul mate one rainy Seattle afternoon, everything about Ivan Notte’s life changes, and it’s not as easy as it is on TV. This story is an unconventional coming –of-age- story about a man who has to learn that growing up isn’t something that only happens to teenagers and that it’s just as hard when you’re an adult.
I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to read a romance where there is genuine conflict between the two romantic leads and they find a way to work it out. It was also nice to see one of the characters really mess up, but, again, even colossal screw ups are regularly worked through, just like in real life. The writing was accessible and flowed well. It was well paced and the representations felt, at least to me (I’m neither a survivor of abuse, nor a gay man so take this with a grain of salt.) honest and respectfully done.
This was a sweet novel. I’d recommend for people who are in the mood for a romance story that is more literary than traditional tropey romance or an unconventional take on the more common YA coming-of-age tale.
3.5/5 ⭐
Saving Seymour is set in world of black and white that can only be brought into technicolor by finding your soulmate. You would think most people would be happy about finding their match. Ivan Notte is not most people. But, after he literally runs into his soul mate one rainy Seattle afternoon, everything about Ivan Notte’s life changes, and it’s not as easy as it is on TV. This story is an unconventional coming –of-age- story about a man who has to learn that growing up isn’t something that only happens to teenagers and that it’s just as hard when you’re an adult.
I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to read a romance where there is genuine conflict between the two romantic leads and they find a way to work it out. It was also nice to see one of the characters really mess up, but, again, even colossal screw ups are regularly worked through, just like in real life. The writing was accessible and flowed well. It was well paced and the representations felt, at least to me (I’m neither a survivor of abuse, nor a gay man so take this with a grain of salt.) honest and respectfully done.
This was a sweet novel. I’d recommend for people who are in the mood for a romance story that is more literary than traditional tropey romance or an unconventional take on the more common YA coming-of-age tale.
June 15, 2021
Finding your soulmate and literally seeing the light. I SEE THE LIGHT!!!! This book's premise is centered around the idea of human rights/ whale rights (think sea world) and the rights for “seers”. So I did like the world this author built. It was interesting and the idea of soulmates was interesting. The two main characters were flawed disasters. Ivan works for Galaxsea ( the equivalent of sea world) who does what most people do, goes to work, and gets a paycheck. He becomes one of the seeing when he meets his soulmate, Winston. Winston is an activist who does what he wants when he wants and doesn't care about consequences. His friends are annoying, and I could not stand them. But I think the author might have been going for that because most of the side characters were pretty bad (Mike). The seeing is also only a small percentage of the population that can see colors (around 2%). The unseeing were 98% of the population and apparently oppressed the seeing. But not everybody got a soulmate so not everybody would get to see. I did like the idea. It reminded me of the movie The Giver. But it's just the message kind of gets lost in a few ways one way was that the characters, in general, are just not likable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 30, 2021
I hit up NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book. And now here we have my review.
Saving Seymour has a bunch of stuff going on. Ivan, who is kinda a jerk, and Winston, who is kinda an activist, are Soulmates. Because they bumped into one another they can now see color in a world where most people see only black and white. Ivan is super conservative and hates this. Winston wants to save a whale that is held in captivity by Galaxsea, the company Ivan works for. Plot ensues.
The premise is interesting. I really like the idea of only being able to see color if you meet your soulmate. My favorite parts of the book focused on the two main characters experiencing different colors for the first time. I especially enjoyed that Winston and Ivan start off seeing complementary color palettes. I wish the author had explored this aspect of the book more, to be honest.
The romance of the two main characters and the plot surrounding the whale were good, but neither went deep enough.
I liked the book. I wanted a little bit more, but it was a nice weekend read.
Saving Seymour has a bunch of stuff going on. Ivan, who is kinda a jerk, and Winston, who is kinda an activist, are Soulmates. Because they bumped into one another they can now see color in a world where most people see only black and white. Ivan is super conservative and hates this. Winston wants to save a whale that is held in captivity by Galaxsea, the company Ivan works for. Plot ensues.
The premise is interesting. I really like the idea of only being able to see color if you meet your soulmate. My favorite parts of the book focused on the two main characters experiencing different colors for the first time. I especially enjoyed that Winston and Ivan start off seeing complementary color palettes. I wish the author had explored this aspect of the book more, to be honest.
The romance of the two main characters and the plot surrounding the whale were good, but neither went deep enough.
I liked the book. I wanted a little bit more, but it was a nice weekend read.
June 6, 2021
I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the author for an honest review.
First, I loved the cover. It's so simple, but eye catching and lovely. I thought this book was unique and unlike anything I've read, although as I was reading the story surrounding Seymour, it did remind me of the movie Free Willy. A world that is in black and white and only those that are born Seer's or are Bonded can see color was very intriguing to me.
The characters were unique. Even though Ivan was a miserable character at first, he was my favorite. As I read, I started to warm up to him. He goes from being like everyone else, to starting to see things in color. His world turned upside down. He was angry and miserable to Winston, but he had considerabl growth throughout the story.
I would have liked more background to this world, I think, and maybe more discovery into these new colors. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to future books by Loch.
First, I loved the cover. It's so simple, but eye catching and lovely. I thought this book was unique and unlike anything I've read, although as I was reading the story surrounding Seymour, it did remind me of the movie Free Willy. A world that is in black and white and only those that are born Seer's or are Bonded can see color was very intriguing to me.
The characters were unique. Even though Ivan was a miserable character at first, he was my favorite. As I read, I started to warm up to him. He goes from being like everyone else, to starting to see things in color. His world turned upside down. He was angry and miserable to Winston, but he had considerabl growth throughout the story.
I would have liked more background to this world, I think, and maybe more discovery into these new colors. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to future books by Loch.
June 10, 2021
The world is all in tones of grey until you meet your soulmate, like not only see but bump into them. That's what happens to Winston and Ivan. This has so much potential but, I can't pinpoint exactly why, there was something lacking. I liked both characters and I liked the "down to the evil animal abuser sort of seaworld company" together with the free willy, here free Seymour of the cover. The way they start seeing colours was fascinating and I enjoyed watching two very different people become a great mix after they found each other. Ivan'd chapters could be hard to read but he had so much going on and by the end I just wanted to hug him a lot.
I found the writing a little bit confusing at times. It was hard sometimes to follow what was happening with random parenthesis in the middle of sentences. But it wasn't that bad so in the end I enjoyed the story all the same.
I found the writing a little bit confusing at times. It was hard sometimes to follow what was happening with random parenthesis in the middle of sentences. But it wasn't that bad so in the end I enjoyed the story all the same.
June 19, 2021
I loved this book. Its a wonderful story of love that the world looks on with disdain. The characters are well developed as the fantastically imperfect beings that they are. The world is really interesting. Only those that that have met their soul mates are able to see in color and those individuals are widely discriminated against- not envied as would be the expectation. I was really intrigued by the author's description of this place and these people. And then I blinked and the story was over and i was grinning at what a great day I had had enjoying this tale that was included a real pod of whales that exists today. Very cool. Two thumbs up.
May 23, 2021
Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Saving Seymour by L.N. Loch. I never read the book blurb, so I always go into a book blind. I started it this book like "what the heck is this book about", too really enjoying the middle of the book, to hating the book and then to liking the book. At one point in the book I considered giving it 5 stars, but then it fell flat for me. 3.5 stars rounded up.
December 5, 2022
2.5 stars
Free Willy meets Under the Whispering Door, which sounds alright on paper. The writing wasn't my full cup of tea, and the addition of some fatphobia, racism, and classism didn't help either. To me, the way the "seeing" was handled felt a bit mocking, and when you read that as an analogy to current homophobia, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I think a much more delicate hand was necessary, it seems almost mocking.
Free Willy meets Under the Whispering Door, which sounds alright on paper. The writing wasn't my full cup of tea, and the addition of some fatphobia, racism, and classism didn't help either. To me, the way the "seeing" was handled felt a bit mocking, and when you read that as an analogy to current homophobia, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I think a much more delicate hand was necessary, it seems almost mocking.
May 29, 2021
While the world the author built was nice, overall, the novel falls completely flat. There were several tones of microaggressions that took me out of enjoying the book. However, the way the story was written was passable at best. Saving Seymour has a bit of potential, but it barely fits the bill of something I would recommend to read.
November 26, 2021
A wonderful and fun read from a very promising author. Loch explores the complexities growing a colorful love between two polar opposites in a black-white-world. With an enthusiasm and humor that made me laugh and smile like an idiot while reading, Loch tells a beautiful story of understanding, pain, and a defiant love in a hostile world.
October 5, 2023
basically if ben shapiro fell in love with an antifa activist <3
January 24, 2025
The premise is fun, but the writing was so chaotic it was hard to finish.
August 25, 2021
This book was a disappointment as I thought this would be a five star read for me. The concept of this books sounded amazing (especially the concept of people only seeing color after they meet their soulmates). Personally, I think there were too many elements (seeing colors after meeting soulmate, the romance being Ivan and Winston, Winston wanting to save Seymour, discrimination against Seers, and dealing with Ivan’s ex) in this story and cutting one or two out would have made the book much more enjoyable.
June 6, 2021
This book is adorable and totally satisfying for someone who has loved whales since I was a little kid. It was a little more serious than I expected from the cover and premise but all handled very well. It was sweet and charming and I really enjoyed it.
The fantastical parts of this are really interesting. I loved the seeing color when you meet your soulmate idea and found it really intriguing that because most people can't see color, it was mostly considered a bad thing. Bigots in this world weren't upset about race (they can't see color), they weren't upset that the main couple is gay, they discriminated against those who could see color. It was an interesting twist and I enjoyed watching it play out.
Ivan and Winston were adorable, I really liked their relationship. It's the enemy to lovers trope with a corporate type and a tree hugger. The relationship was done well for the most part. However, I didn't particularly like Winston's friends. They're overly protective and never even attempt to give Ivan a chance. Their protectiveness is never really explained and just made me dislike these two characters who otherwise had potential.
The Seymour storyline was interesting and I liked how it eventually played out. About halfway through, I was frustrated that it hadn't been explored more and I hadn't even "seen" the whale but it happened eventually and when it did, I was happy with how it unfolded.
This is a debut novel and in a few spots it really read like one. A couple times I found myself getting a little confused about the way characters were acting or even which character's POV I was reading. It just needed a little more polish and rounding out of the characters and I think I could have gotten close to that 5th star.
Overall, this is a very solid LGBT+ contemporary romance with some animal rights and fantastical elements thrown in.
**I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
The fantastical parts of this are really interesting. I loved the seeing color when you meet your soulmate idea and found it really intriguing that because most people can't see color, it was mostly considered a bad thing. Bigots in this world weren't upset about race (they can't see color), they weren't upset that the main couple is gay, they discriminated against those who could see color. It was an interesting twist and I enjoyed watching it play out.
Ivan and Winston were adorable, I really liked their relationship. It's the enemy to lovers trope with a corporate type and a tree hugger. The relationship was done well for the most part. However, I didn't particularly like Winston's friends. They're overly protective and never even attempt to give Ivan a chance. Their protectiveness is never really explained and just made me dislike these two characters who otherwise had potential.
The Seymour storyline was interesting and I liked how it eventually played out. About halfway through, I was frustrated that it hadn't been explored more and I hadn't even "seen" the whale but it happened eventually and when it did, I was happy with how it unfolded.
This is a debut novel and in a few spots it really read like one. A couple times I found myself getting a little confused about the way characters were acting or even which character's POV I was reading. It just needed a little more polish and rounding out of the characters and I think I could have gotten close to that 5th star.
Overall, this is a very solid LGBT+ contemporary romance with some animal rights and fantastical elements thrown in.
**I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
June 14, 2021
It was a bit slow at first but it wasn't as hard to read through as you go on with the book. It wasn't a favorite of mine. It all seemed like there was too much going all at once and I often got confused which added on to the fact that it was a bit difficult to sit through and I had to put it down a few times before reading on again. I wish it went a little deeper with more of the main plots of the novel and it mostly fell flat.
Its definitely got a charming side to it though. The book has an interesting take on soulmates and I found it quite refreshing. The dynamic between the main pair didn't seem forced and there were quite a few sweet moments between them throughout the story.
I would say if you've got a soft spot for soulmate stories, I'd say check this out if you want to. I didn't like it a lot, but I didn't hate it either.
3/5 stars.
Its definitely got a charming side to it though. The book has an interesting take on soulmates and I found it quite refreshing. The dynamic between the main pair didn't seem forced and there were quite a few sweet moments between them throughout the story.
I would say if you've got a soft spot for soulmate stories, I'd say check this out if you want to. I didn't like it a lot, but I didn't hate it either.
3/5 stars.
April 9, 2025
ivan and winst are disasters but they're MY disasters. also on my page we are pro "Confetti" for the new L pod baby's name.
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