One Call Away, Felice Stevens

Coming out, forgiving, accepting, confessions, upheavals, honesty, reconciliations, gaining self-confidence, community, heart. All of that and more. I loved it.

Noah struggles with his past and is the king of "Do as I say, not as I do." Thankfully he finds Oren who struggles with his present. Together they heal themselves and one another. Their struggles and coming together create a bond and a friendship that carries over into their romantic relationship. That kind of foundation is solid and believable.

Oren was my favorite. He struggled so hard with all the changes that came with admitting who he really is but the entire time he never once avoided what needed to be done. My favorite was that he didn't project his insecurities onto Noah or make Noah feel guilty for being who he is. Oren's heart was both strong and so sweet.

Noah was great too. His own frustrations with his past colored the start of things with Oren, which was understandable, but because of Oren's direct and honest attentions, he figures things out.

The plot was slow to start, but once it picked up I found that I wasn't too tolerant of my various distractions. Thankfully SpongeBob has a magic ability to distract my 4 year old during her sister's nap and I could just sit and read since I didn't want to put the book down. It wasn't riveting, but it was definitely engaging and I became invested in these men and their situations.

Overall, this was a great read, one I would absolutely recommend to someone who wanted to read about men who love and struggle just like the rest of us. They struggle with identity, forgiveness, jobs, family.