A life story: When Love Comes to Town

Title: When Love Comes to Town

Author: Tom Lennon

My Rating: 3.9/5

"A new edition of this acclaimed novel. Meet Neil Byrne - try-scorer on the rugby field, prizewinning student, one of the in-crowd at the disco, regular guy, gay. Presenting one face to the world and burying his true feelings in fantasy, Neil manages to keep his secret. But when fantasy isn't enough and he becomes caught up in the bizarre subculture of Dublin's gay nightlife, the pretense must end. It is the time for truth. The consequences are both hilarious and painful. Told with honesty, humour and originality, When Love Comes to Town brings a new type of hero to modern Irish fiction."

**THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON A THIRTEEN-CHAPTER PREVIEW OF WHEN LOVE COMES TO TOWN THANSK TO ALBERT WHITMAN & COMPANY (ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY)**
I've never read a gay/lesbian romance before, so honestly, I didn't know what to expect coming into this. Even with no standards, When Love Comes To Town still manages to sweep me off my feet. I am a perfectly straight person, however, Neil's story of his struggles as a gay person still deeply touches me, which I consider a great success on the author's part. The book wants to attract as big an audience as possible, after all.

The characters in this book are very relatable, and I personally really enjoy being brought back to the 90s. The narration is very detailed, which I'm not usually so hot about, but this time it worked just fine for me--it is these details that show how SCARED Neil is of coming out, of becoming the person that he truly wants to be. On a grander scale, this not only applies to all that who are still awaiting the perfect time to declare their homosexuality, it is also an acute description of young adult life in general. How many of us have fidgeted and worried ourselves sick over one little thing that might have turned out absolutely trivial? How many of us have fought to voice our true thoughts? I think in this aspect, the author does a phenomenal job of writing a very sensitive yet mature voice.

One little thing that kept it from being a perfect read: since the story was written in the last decade, the culture back then is much less accepting of homosexuality, so there are some cultural beliefs that are somewhat outdated, which takes away from the modern-day reading experience.

**This book was originally published in UK, under this cover:

which one do you guys like better? Lemme know :)

xx

Vanessa :]

A peek into Edwardian England: Cinders & Sapphires (SNEAK PEEK)

Title: Cinders & Sapphires
Author: Leila Rasheed
My Rating: 4/5

"One house, two worlds...

Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton"

**THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON A THIRTEEN-CHAPTER PREVIEW OF CINDERS & SAPPHIRES THANSK TO DISNEY-HYPERION (ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY)**

Ah, what a book! The first thirteen chapters of Cinders & Sapphires (which I believe is the first installment of a series) is like Downton Abbey meets Mean Girls: taking place during Edwardian England, the book tells the story of people--young and old--in one house, Somerton, of their hopes, love, and ambitions. 

The characters, although clearly not from our time, are surprisingly relatable. Rose, a housemaid who is later promoted to a ladies' maid, is this young, beautiful, insecure girl who is unsure about her own place in the house. Her kindness, curiosity, and good humor makes me as a reader sympathize with her. Plus, the mystery shrouding her identity is all the more intrguing... Rose's lady, Ada, is the oldest daughter of the owner of Somerton. Although vastly different in social status, Ada and Rose share many similarities: both young and sometimes childish, they dream of opportunities they aren't supposed to have, things they aren't allowed to yearn for  (boys included, may I mention). By making them utterly human, the author brings the characters to life--they feel so endearingly close to us the readers.

The author also does a good job describing the lifestyle of Edwardian England. While reading, I found the elaboration on architecture and interior designs of Somerton quite intriguing and evocative. Details concerning the ladies' dresses, etc, are also well paid attention to.

Having read only the first thirteen chapters, I don't really know enough about the story to give much criticism. One thing about this story, though: because people during that time of history have so many titles/names (Rose, for example, is referred to as Ms.Cliffe by people "lower" than her after her promotion), it might be hard to get into the story in the beginning. However, after some getting used to, I'm sure you will find yourself enjoying the read!

xx

Vanessa :]