Chiaroscuro set a very high bar, and this book came close but didn't quite meet it. As others have said, Dune's sudden collapse didn't seem to fit his character. Even taking into consideration various past events and emotions, it just didn't make sense that someone as well-balanced as he seemed to be would fall apart so quickly and completely.I was also disconcerted on a few geographic points. I've lived in San Francisco, in Berkeley, in Oakland, San Jose, Concord, Alameda...and there were a couple of times I found myself saying "Huh?" as some geographic thing or another didn't fit the reality I know. It was distracting. One example: Micah returns from Europe at 3am and plans to take BART. Really? BART stops running at midnight every day, except on rare occasions like New Years Eve and Halloween.Also, Micah's trip from Europe to SFO took 30 hours...WTF, did he go by way of Japan? I've flown between San Francisco and Europe many times and various locations, and it's never taken more than 16 hours or so - even with multi-hour layovers. And, flying from SFO, I arrived in Bangkok 'only' 24 hours later. So what happened that it took him so long to get home? And how could he have any idea whether anyone was there to pick him up or not until he got to Baggage Claim? Presumably he's smart enough to know that anyone without a ticket couldn't meet him any sooner than that, and so wouldn't even start looking until he got there; instead, he'd given up looking by the time he got there. Huh?I realize I'm focusing on the negative, and it really was a great book. But I figure it might help others to be forewarned about these things before you read it, then you might not find them so distracting. It is a book well worth reading, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
I noticed a lot of people didn't like it as much as the first or didn't find the characters' relationship believable after the first story. I didn't have those problems, I think because it's been about a year since I've readChiaroscuro. I remembered Micah's mistakes in the first one, but since it's been so long, I had no problem believing that he has grown and changed since then.I really loved this story of growth for each of the MCs. I'll admit that I laughed and cried through this one. I absolutely loved the interaction between Micah and Dune; they really were adorable together. (view spoiler)[The only issue I had was Dune's abuse. I didn't understand why he ever went back to Gavin. At the point, it had been many years since they had broken up, and I personally thought while he may have still had feelings for Gavin, I wasn't wholly convinced that he would have gone back to him. I also thought that his going back to Micah was very, very abrupt. After months of being abused with Gavin and being convinced that he should stay and not see his friends or family, all it takes to turn him around is Micah coming over and throwing Gavin out. I don't know, it just seemed kind of rushed. (hide spoiler)]
Do You like book Something Beautiful (2008)?
1. Micah is 23 years old but acts like a tween girl.2. He's always giggling. Why can't he ever just laugh, chuckle, or chortle? No, Micah giggles, even during sex.3. Micah insists he's a grown-up. His proof? He has a job AND an apartment. However...4. Whenever someone brings up something he did wrong, Micah doesn't want to talk about it. It's all avoid, avoid, avoid!5. Micah doesn't see how much his cheating on Jamie in the previous book hurt Jamie because Micah is a self-absorbed brat. Jamie ha
—ReadingAgent
This is a sequel of Chiaroscuro -- I started reading right after I finished Chiaroscuro because I did not want to part with characters so soon. This book focuses on Micah and Dune (Dune is Jamie's best friend). I admit, I was a bit surprised when the story implies that Dune had become friends with Young Micah. But it is believable because Dune is kind to Micah in the first book. When Micah returns from Europe after breaking up with his latest boyfriend, he turns to Dune for some comfort. Then the two of them starts to see each other in a different light. The book flows as smooth as the first one. However, I don't really see Micah and Dune as the happy ever after couple (unlike Jamie and Ben, whom I think has a very strong basis as couple, Jamie the sunshine and Ben the dependable bear), even if they are good friends. Still, a good story too. More like 3.5 stars
—Ami
Warning, might be spoilerish!Oh, my left-over boys from the first book got their own book. Yippey!!I enjoyed this book as much as the first one. I really like Micah; and it was nice to see him grow and mature. Dune is totally lovable. These horny boys are very affectionate with all their friends. I've never read of more tactile characters who are constantly hugging or leaning on each other or their friends. I really like how the author manages to slow-build the 'falling in love' part in both books. Nothing kills a story quicker for me than 'insta-love'. It is more believable when you are given the opportunity to fall in love with them as they do it, rather than being told that they are in love from the get go. This masterpiece isn't without flaws for me: I thought the whole plot of Gavin abusing Dune was weak. It just seemed so out of the blue and out of character for Dune to fall into that. Anyway, I was glad that only a few pages were wasted on this, and it quickly went away with Micah as the hero.I still don't care for Tristan. The whole BFF ex-wife now hanging out with her ex-husbands friends is just too weird/awkward for me to buy. She his kind of blah character anyway. I typically skip her dialogue as she does not add anything to my enjoyment. Even with the above mentioned, this is an excellent read. Moving on to the third book in the series. I think I might add this author to my 'auto-buy' list. Really enjoying her books! ;)
—Maggie Simms
