From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

The Friend (It's Just Us Here, #1)

Christopher X. Sullivan

Start date: February 1, 2021

Finish date: February 28, 2021

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

Why we're reading this: This will be our February 2021 read.
[close] This will be our February 2021 read.

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Book of the Month Club

* Candidates for Next Month's Read
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What Members Thought

Feb 22, 2021 Ije the Devourer of Books rated it really liked it

I wasnt sure about this when I first started but then the characters grew on me. It is a great 'opposites attract' memoir and although the end was left open we all know what happens ultimately. So in the end I enjoyed this and laughed in some places. I think I will read the entire series eventually. ...more

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Feb 21, 2021 Jordan Lombard rated it liked it

Shelves: a-own-ebook, a-own, bom-jl-group, mc-asexual, g-biography-memoir, y-2021reads, mc-gay

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is not really a review, but more a written spew of my thoughts. FYI.

I don’t really know how to feel about this book. I’m ace and nonbinary and apparently have a lot in common with Chris, so much so that it was easy to put myself in his shoes. It made me a bit more introspective than I’d have liked. I am how I am and I don’t like change. Go away. Lol. As Chris gave in to Mark, I found myself digging in my heels yelling “No!”

I enjoyed this book. It was easy to read, made me laugh sometimes, This is not really a review, but more a written spew of my thoughts. FYI.

I don’t really know how to feel about this book. I’m ace and nonbinary and apparently have a lot in common with Chris, so much so that it was easy to put myself in his shoes. It made me a bit more introspective than I’d have liked. I am how I am and I don’t like change. Go away. Lol. As Chris gave in to Mark, I found myself digging in my heels yelling “No!”

I enjoyed this book. It was easy to read, made me laugh sometimes, and was interesting, but there were some things that really bugged me. First off, Mark doesn’t know how to respect Chris’s boundaries. AT ALL. And some of Chris’s asides about their future sex had me cringing, not necessarily because I’m Ace (I actually do read a lot of MM Romance novels) but because he says he has sex to make Mark happy even if he’s not interested in it. That’s a huge no. Even if Chris does eventually grow to like it at some point, this was too fine a line for me. At some point Chris says Mark was reeling him in faster and tighter and he wasn’t sure he could escape even if he’d wanted to. Ummm... not very romantic. That sounds scary to me!

I’m also an introvert who hates conflict, so the constant bickering and fighting was exhausting. Can all of this lead to a healthy relationship? I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t survive it. BUT, I DO get where Mark is coming from trying to boostChris’s self-esteem. Chris needs it. I know I need it. I just wish he’d been a lot gentler about it.

Okay, part of the problem is that Chris does not explain much about himself to Mark, just lets Mark figure things out on his own. Like his being Ace. If Mark doesn’t know, how can he possibly respond to it, or understand he’s being too forward or whatever. I also wanted to know more about Chris and his sexuality here. Did he know he was ace at the time? I didn’t figure out I was ace until my late 20’s, but I was mostly oblivious all my life to the fact that the rest of the world is sex focused. It helps when you have few friends and live in your own world, and that your friends are mostly nerdy and don’t talk about sex. Lol. Anyway, how did he realize he was ace? So many questions about that.

Chris still lives with his parents but we don’t ever see them. He summarizes a brief conversation with his mother, but I know nothing about her. I thought his dad was gone but there’s one line from him late in the book. How did they feel about his sudden late nights? How did he explain sleeping at a straight guy friends place over night so often?

Did Mark pass the class? I’m sure he did, but confirmation would have been nice.

A long time ago I had a friendship with a gay guy where I was more open and would willingly do things for him because I do like doing things for other people. Actually, I like buying things for other people too sometimes. I shocked him by doing his laundry once. So I do know what that kind of relationship is like. I just... had some issues with boundaries, as I said. And maybe it’s just because I don’t want those boundaries crossed with me. I am Chris when it comes to fashion and how I feel about myself. Enough said. ...more

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