I am newly a lover of gay male fiction written by women. In Only Mostly Devastated, Ollie has a summer fling with closeted Will Tavares, but then Ollie's family decides to stay in North Carolina to take care of his cancer-stricken Aunt Linda and her family that includes two little kids. It turns out that Will goes to Ollie's new school and isn't as thrilled to see Ollie as Ollie is to see Will.
Ollie is quickly befriended by a trio of girls and becomes part of their group. They know he's gay and are comfortable with that. A little too comfortable, maybe.
What was it with girls and boundaries when it came to guys they knew were gay?
He wonders when the girls don't seem to mind being unclad in front of him.
I know it's fiction and all, but it's neat to read how women perceive the differences in how men and women are in relationships. I appreciate that Ollie is much better at sticking up for himself and not settling for crumbs than most ciswomen are.
He touched my arm. Even though it made me shiver, and my blood heat up by several degrees, and my stomach kick up, I yanked away. The anger was well and truly back, and it wasn't any of my body's romance bullshit.
At least at first...
...it was getting easier to adjust to the idea of going at his pace. I didn't have the energy to resist his endless olive branches. Even if they resembled olive twigs more than branches, sometimes. Plus, it felt so much better to let him melt me than to fight to stay frozen.
He knows the power dynamic is bs and doesn't question if he's the one at fault!
It's a fun, sweet read. Ollie is probably too good to be true, but Will and the rest of the characters are flawed and believable.