I have to chuckle to myself a bit just since this is my third ever LGBTQ romance, but honestly, I like stepping out of my comfort zone. Especially since all three of them have been so different!
While you’re at it, feel free to check out my vlog here!
This week, I’ve got Emma Kimble-Maerki‘s new book, Hypo Full of Love. It’s a cute little love story, that even though there are definitely dramatic parts to this book, it almost reminded me of a romantic comedy.
Somewhat coincidentally, there’s one dramatic scene in which the characters joke about an event being “a movie thing, something that wouldn’t happen.” So, it’s actually for that reason that I thought it was a little romantic comedy-esque. That’s not to say that the book isn’t realistic–there are definitely many parts that are–but for me, I couldn’t help but read it with a tiny bit of skepticism.
Here’s the deal, Danny is a senior in high school and has a huge crush on his best friend’s brother, Kevin. Now Danny is pretty nerdy and very academically focused while Kevin is the champion boxer at his high school. Now nerd plus jock is a little basic, but it’s believable… same with having a crush on your best friend’s sibling.
So one night, Kevin and Danny are talking about crushes and whatnot and Danny plants one on him. Whaaaat? I mean, that’s cute, but now he’s throwing Kevin into the whole “am I gay?” debacle–again, somewhat pedestrian, but very believable. What isn’t quite as realistic is the insta-love that happens between the two.
Now don’t get me wrong, I totally believe in insta-attraction, and it would totally make sense for Kevin to think about it a lot, but, I dunno, part of me was like “yasssss!” and part of me just felt a little meh.
It’s when Danny leaves to college and after some intense drama that Kevin ends up in Portland where it gets a little more questionable for me. On one hand, I totally get that Danny might be a little unresponsive since he takes his studies seriously–but his lack of responsiveness seems a little extreme. It also struck me as a bit odd that Kevin didn’t try harder to reach out to Danny, especially since both boys seem like they’re in love.
I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll keep it relatively generic, but of course there’s the boy-almost-loses-other-boy scene and the make up scenes are somewhat basic, but they’re entertaining nonetheless.
Overall I did like the book, but there were definitely times where I didn’t love the characters. Danny just seemed a little too defensive at times, and I get that he’s still trying to find himself, but his denial of another character having a crush on him seemed a little extreme. Somewhat similarly, there were a few scenes where Kevin seemed slightly whiny, but overall he was fine too.
Honestly, I almost liked the supporting characters like Jimmy and Sandy the best. They seemed very well developed and a little more emotionally mature, so I just kind of sympathized with them more. Danny and Kevin are also definitely developed, but they just didn’t quite gain the same amount of my sympathy as often.
Even though it may sound like my analysis of the plot might be a little nit-picky, overall, I did like it. I thought it was well written and even though I said earlier “it’s kinda basic,” it was still really enjoyable.
In general, I’d definitely recommend it, it’s a sweet little love story that I really did enjoy. I think the only reason why you probably wouldn’t would simply be if you’re not into romance stories. (To which I say, you’re missing out!)
That’s all I’ve got for this week! Thanks for sticking with me, I’ll try to put something up during my hiatus. 🙂
Happy Reading!
A Little Bit of Happiness 