I didn't finish this story so I am uncomfortable rating it.
I have read 25% and those were filled with grammatical errors (which will probably be edited before release) and weird word usage. Things like "I want to yoke at least an ounce of that mindset", had me baffled enough to DNF this book after reading the first quarter.
I think this book need a couple of proofreadings and a good English educated editor.

Really 4.5.Deducted 0.5 as I did not like the "colours" idea.
I thought at first that I was going to have problems with this but once I got through the first couple of chapters I was so caught up in Marco and Oskar's story that I could not stop reading.
Forgiveness and moving- on are the major problems dealt with here;enduring love and happiness are the rewards for dealing successfully with them.
This book is so well-written, warm and, at the same time, heart-wrenching.Your emotions will be all over the place!
Thoroughly recommendable to those who enjoy their m/m romance with a sprinkling of angst and a pinch or two of sex!

This was the perfect book to lose myself in after reading some hard hitting nonfiction. The romance between Oskar and Marco was a slow simmering burn that made the ending that much better. I loved the way that Sunday didn't make this an easy relationship....there were parts of those two coming together that had me yelling at the book. Will be on the lookout for more books from Anyta Sunday.

Marco and Oskar were neighbors and friends, they grew up together. Something happens in Marco's life that marks him and some time after his relationship with Oskar is damaged. At first, I didn't know what to think about this story, I didn't want Marco and Oskar's issues to be something dumb blown out of proportion but at the same time I didn't want an awful story because you do get attached to them or at least to Marco really fast. Their past was beautiful and sad but it wasn't overly dramatic, which is surprising because a lot of the story is Marco basically avoiding and hiding a lot of things and at the same time keeping all this resentment towards Oskar, but like I said the execution was done great.

I ca’t really say much about this book except, it was great.

First of all, I love Marco! I loved how he attempted to move on but when he realized he couldn’t he accepted it and reassessed his options. I loved how hard he worked to earn forgiveness. I loved how determined he was even in the face of his own personal shit he had going on in his life. He put others before himself. He made mistakes and owned them. And he forgave himself. I just….:sigh: I love him.

Oskar….not so much. He came off a bit too whiny for me TBH. His refusal to forgive and keep holding onto his pain and hatred were a huge turn-off for me. I’ma huge believer in the power of change so that’s probably why I had such a hard time with him. But he did end up redeeming himself in the end, so he wasn’t so far gone that there was no return from the island of assholes. He was a great support system for Marco’s sister and he was close with his family so there was some depth to see.

And holy shit, the sex scenes! I mean, they seemed a bit too intense with this love story but damn I think I may have blushed while reading them, which doesn’t happen very often. 😉

http://redzworld.blogspot.com/2017/05/true-colors-by-anyta-sunday.html

<b>Received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review</b>
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

This is my second time reading Anyta Sunday's books and to be honest I didn't even realize this was also written by her as the styles of the two novels I have read were so different. I want to make it clear that this is not a complaint.

Oskar and Marco's story is not a happy one, at least not at first, and the pain within that story is palpable. The trauma is as real as if it was happening to someone I know in real life and the way it is written is delicious.

Anyta Sunday has a great way of pulling the reader into her story, making them feel invested, and truly feel what the characters are feeling. Though the plot can sometimes feel rushed, as though there is a hurry to get to the conclusion, this was a very fulfilling read, one which will likely stay with me for a while.

While I do know that some people will balk at the idea of happily ever afters, in this day and age I find those are the novels that I am seeking out the most. Sometimes you need a little solace from the harshness of the outside world and this novel offers the reader just that. A well written plot with a tidy resolution.

Sorry, but this was a DNF for me. I appreciate being offered the chance to read the book, however. Thank you.

Wow, one of those unputdownable books! The emotions run so deep between those two that it gave me goosebumps. I loved how they fought their way through their problems even though they seemed insurmountable at the beginning.
A truly intense read I thoroughly enjoyed!

Ice.
What is the first thing you think of? Frozen. Brittle. Or how about transparent crystals?
When I think of this story, the first thing I think of is ice and then a kaleidoscope of colors rush into my mind’s eye.
In theory, I should think of colors first but I don’t.
I envision a boy who was enamored with the beauty of his world…until it froze.
Then it shattered and he was left numb, fragile and at first glance, without any colors. But when the sun hits Marco, he will blind you with a captivating array of the rainbow.
Oskar was Marco’s sun but Oskar went away and took all the light with him.
Now he’s back….and nothing will ever be the same again.

I had a little “moment” when I began this story. I saw it during the pre-release hype and knew I wanted to read it because I want to read everything that Anyta creates. However, I wasn’t really paying attention and didn’t realize it was book two in a series. I’m reading along and HEY! I know these guys!! It was rather exciting even if it made me real foolish for not knowing beforehand. So yes, this is book TWO in the True Love series but it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I don’t often say that, but it runs with a parallel timeline with book one. I absolutely adored Bottle Boys and was beyond ecstatic to see the guys again.

What's to Like:
We are back in Berlin and the boys are studiously working their way through college. Marco has decided the memories are too potent living at home, next door to his former best friends house, and moves into an apartment. Marco is a survivor but he is also riddled with guilt, shame, and pain from ‘the’ accident. He takes his role of stand-in brother to Zoe, Oskar’s younger sis, seriously. In addition to his father and grandfather, Zoe is his closest family. He’s made a few new friends but continues to hold them at arm’s length. He suffered the biggest mistake of his life when he let his defenses down many years ago and refuses to do so again. Maintaining distance bears a high price and he’s never felt so alone. When Oskar returns with a bright smile and an endless supply of olive branches, Marco is rattled. He can’t forget. He can’t forgive. But he can’t continue living like this anymore either. Will he open his eyes to the true colors surrounding him? Or lose his chance at happiness?

What's to Love:
I love a story that defies tragedy and captures the elusive happy ending. Marco and Oskar are best friends until a painful moment breaks them. Oh, how my heart hurt. I longed for a time turner to erase the words and eliminate the anguish. As we know, there is no way to turn back time, only forge ahead and attempt to recover. Problem is, Marco can’t move forward. He’s stuck, trapped in an emotional pit of quicksand. I find synesthesia fascinating. Are you familiar? It’s when your senses blend together and intertwine creating different perspectives. Marco feels in colors and designates colors to people. This story begins with black but it doesn’t stay there. Prepare to ride the rainbow on this journey. It’s an epic ride.

Beware of:
An emotional but rewarding journey. Anyta Sunday happens to be one of my favorite authors for a reason; I know it’s not going to be easy but it will be worth it in the end.

This Book is For:
This story is a stark reminder that when we love someone with our whole heart, we give them immense power and the ability to destroy us, but in turn, they have the ability to restore us…if we let them. If you enjoy falling alongside first love, true love, and ONLY love, then I am certain you’ll want to take the dive into this color wheel.

FR- Alors alors... alors comme je vous le disais j'adore Anyta Sunday, j'adore ses YA (Ok j'aime beaucoup de YA en M/M j'avoue) mais ceux d'Anyta Sunday ont toujours ce petit quelque chose qui me touche particulièrement.

Ce roman là n'a pas fait exception. Je dois avouer que j'en attendais beaucoup et que je n'ai pas été déçue.

J'ai beaucoup aimé le fait que le roman se passe en Allemagne, ça change un peu des Etats Unis où se déroulent la plupart des romans en VO que je lis et j'avoue que vu que je vais à Berlin au mois de juin j'étais super attentive à tous les petits détails donnés sur la ville.

Pour parler du roman en lui même, une fois de plus j'ai beaucoup aimé le style de l'auteur, cette façon qu'elle a de nous raconter une histoire, de nous présenter des personnages à travers tout un tas de petits moments d'eux.

J'ai adoré le personnage de Marco (ne me demandez pas pourquoi je voulais l'appeler Markus apres ma lecture). Comme souvent il est assez fragile et on sent en lui une rancoeur énorme envers Oskar.

Le personnage d'Oskar est lui plus "facile" peut etre parce que comme on est du point de vu de Marco, on a moins ses ressentis et ce par quoi il est passé. Mais on sent en lui tout un tas d'émotions presque aussi fortes que celles qui traversent Marco.

Une fois de plus ce roman est une petite merveille, une petite pépite que j'ai dévoré, une tranche de vie, un moment dans la vie de ces deux personnages qui va changer leur vie à jamais.

J'aime la façon dont l'auteur, à partir de choses insignifiantes, de moment choisis mais pourtant anodins, va construire une histoire tellement forte qu'on ne peut que tourner les pages pour en avoir plus, encore et encore.

ENG-So... well well well.. well, As I told you I love Anyta Sunday, I love her YA (Ok I like a lot of YA in M ​​/ M I admit) but those of Anyta Sunday always have this little something that touches me especially.

This novel was no exception. I must admit that I expected a lot and I was not disappointed.

I really liked the fact that the novel takes place in Germany, it changes a bit from the United States where most novels are set. I confess that since I go to Berlin in June I was super attentive to all the little details about the city.

To speak of the novel itself, once again I really liked the style of the author, the way she has to tell us a story, to introduce us characters through a bunch of little moments of them.

I loved the character of Marco (do not ask me why I wanted to call him Markus after reading). As often he is rather fragile and you can tell that he's got an enormous resentment towards Oskar.

The character of Oskar is more "easy", maybe becausethe book is from Marco's POV, we can't see hi feelings and what he went trough as easily as for Marco. But he clearly fell emotions almost as strong as Marco's.

Once again this novel is a little wonder, a small treasure I devoured, a slice of life, a moment in the life of these two characters that will change their lives forever.

I like the way the author, starting from insignificant things, chosen moments but yet innocuous, will build a history so strong that we can only turn the pages to have more, more and more.

There’s few writers that make me feel like I’m reading some magic words in a contemporary world. For example, Suki Fleet, who I’m always cautious because I know it’ll hurt. Nash Summers, who captured me with Maps and Fawn, because wow are this character dazzling. And Anyta Sunday, who writes characters as if they’re something magical, who love and feel in such a way that you can’t help but root for a HEA.

True Colors was like the epitome of my daydreams. I know, it’s a weird sentence. See, I often say I don’t like angst, but I do when it isn’t the entire plot, or when it’s because of some miscommunication. But I love angst when you want that character to grovel, and pine, hard.

Reading about Marco and Oskar was hard. Mostly, because I didn’t know how Marco could get pass those six words. I felt for the kid. I felt for the kid who trusted and instead got six letter words that impacted his life, his outlook, and his self-esteem. And Oskar, little cocky shithead who at times I wanted him to hurt, because who dare you.

This story featured a friends-to enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope, and hell yeah was it enjoyable. I loved that Marco took his time, that it wasn’t shoved under the rug.

But. True Colors wasn’t perfect, by all means. For example, Oskar’s sister has had Marco as a brother of sorts since he’s moved away. There’s this moment when Marco, justifiably so, snaps at Oskar. Then, Zoe (sister), gets so mad at him that she uninvited him to her game, made him feel guilt and demanded him to make it up to him. Like I get it it’s your brother, but you’ve known this guy maybe not get in the middle of something you might not understand?

I also had a problem with Oskar and his boyfriend. I don’t know if Jessie (boyfriend) was a plot device, because things don’t add up.

Lastly, the sex scene. I don’t want to get super spoilery, but six words change Marco’s life. Those six words have impacted his life in a big way, and then when they have sex, in this defining scene, I wish it wouldn’t have been “tighly-wrapped-in-a-bow” type of scene. I wanted the, look, things will take a while, and they will because no magic dick will heal my insecurities.

Regardless, I did love reading about Opa, Zoe, the play ( I want this type of plays in my life, and it actually was so vivid in my mind, what the heck), Marco standing up to Oskar’s mom. And I especially loved reading Marco and Oskar’s journey. A journey filled with pain, forgiveness, and friendship. Learning what happened, and why those six words were uttered.

At times I didn’t want Marco to forgive Oskar, but Oskar won me over, little by little.

Hope this story wins you over.

True Colors is a lovely story of friendships,family,forgiveness and love. Marco was in a car crash that killed his mother and left scars all over his body at nine years of age. Marco and Oskar were best friends growing up together as neighbors. They had a special bond until one day Oskar caused Marco pain and humiliation with a terrible betrayal.

It’s a really really good finding-yourself, hate-to-lovers story, with a really well plotted story arc. It skirted between adorable, and angsty, and isn’t that just the perfect blend you want to read in a book? And that ending was just beautiful. Really, those last lines in the book were magical, with how the author captured the moment. It was easily one of the most vivid scenes I’ve been able to see behind my eyes in a long time. And so for that, I have to commend her. It’s her first book I’m reading, but there’s another book in this series, and I’m really going to check the other one out soon. Need some Ben and Sebastien.

Anyta Sunday aime bien prendre le temps avec ses personnages comme vient le confirmer cette petite romance. True Colors c'est une histoire d'amitié, d'amour, de pardon que j'ai lu très rapidement et apprécié.

L'intrigue se déroule en Allemagne, elle met en scène deux jeunes garçons, Oskar et Marco, qui deviennent les meilleurs amis du monde mais dont l’amitié volera en éclats. Quand Marco reviendra à Berlin après une longue absence, un de se buts sera de renouer avec Oskar, de réparer ce qui a été cassé.
Le récit contient un certain nombre de flash backs qui permettent de faire un éclairage sur le passé et de comprendre pourquoi cette amitié a fini par se briser.
Marqué dans sa chair et dans son esprit par un terrible accident, Oskar m’a touchée par sa vulnérabilité, lui qui s’est forgé une carapace pour se protéger du regard des autres et de leur jugement. Sa souffrance et cette peur d’être à nouveau blessé par une des personnes.
L’alchimie entre les personnages est bien là et Anyta Sunday parvient à nous faire ressentir les émotions qui chamboulent les personnages. Oskar est empli de colère mais elle se dispute à des sentiments plus tendres qu’il ne peut s’empêcher d’éprouver pour Marco, qui a fini par représenter bien plus qu’un ami. Le revoir le bouleversera et à un plus d’un titre...
J’ai beaucoup aimé être le témoin de ces retrouvailles, du combat intérieur d’Oskar, de la persévérance de Marco et de sa façon, tout en douceur, d’apprivoiser son ami et de lui faire comprendre tout ce qu’il représente pour lui.

Le titre fait référence a l’habitude prise par Oskar de décrire les personnes, les ressentis en utilisant une couleur pour les qualifier ce qui apporte une touche de poésie au récit tout en représentant le lien très fort qui l’unit à sa mère. Les répétitions d'une pièce de théâtre que l'on suit en fil rouge et qui permettront aux héros d’extérioriser leurs sentiments sont un autre aspect du roman que j'ai apprécié.
La famille, les amis occupent une place importante dans ce récit , j’ai particulièrement aimé le personnage de Zoe, la petite sœur de Marco, et le grand-père d’Oskar, si plein de sagesse.

Mon seul regret est constitué par des passages que j’attendais avec impatience dans la dernière partie mais qui n’ont pas été décrits par l’auteur...Alors certes, ils ne concernaient pas directement le couple mais je trouve dommage que l’auteur ne nous ait pas permis d’assister à ces différentes « mises à nue ». Ces quelques pages m’ont manqué ...
Je n’ai pas lu le 1er tome , True Luck, dont l’intrigue se déroule en parallèle à celle de True Colors, mais comme Ben est craquant , cela ne saurait tarder !


♥♥♥, 5 / 5

HEART BREAKING AND HEART WARMING!!

5/5 It is just worth it.

This book is incredible! Well written, and the story is so GOOD! The way Anyta Sunday describes the way Marco sees people and how Oskar is trying and struggling to be his best – is AMAZING!!!

You can see and feel the raw ache in both characters. See how they hurt, and how they hide it and manage it. It is extremely emotional, in the good and bad ways, as in, there are those cute and funny moments, and then suddenly something happens and it all goes blue.

This story is insufferably frustrating, seeing as both Marco and Oskar are completely blind to each other’s emotions. And it only gets more frustrating when the secondary characters come out and tell them they see it before they do.

This book shows us not just how strong love is, but how it never goes away, it was only overshadowed by a stronger emotion. And that hope is the last to die, for there is always a chance that things will go as you expected it to.

Very touching, second chance novel. Careless words sculpt who we are. We all still think about the "harsh" criticisms of bullies and comments years later, even if we think we are above it all. Marco is shaped as a man by both his best friend betrayal at his scarred body, his words and the fact he remains stagnant and in need of love.

He was a joyous MC, as a reader Sunday got us behind his insecurities and trepidations. He carried the whole novel from his POV thus making Oscar a harder character to love. I really did like Oscar but his actions sculpted the whole of this novel. His actions past and present define Marco. I did like him as an MC but he seemed fickle and flighty with this consequences.

This is my second novel by Sunday and so far she writes lovely, slow burn romances. An author to watch in this genre.

4.5 stars!

***I received a free copy from the Publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.***

True Colors is a story about finding yourself and accepting who you are; it’s about learning to forgive, about learning to trust again after being hurt, about second chances; it’s about love and how healing true love can be; how it can help you pick up your broken pieces and make you whole again.

It’s Marco Brandt's story.

Marco sees people in colors (kind of like his mama did). Each person to him is a color. Each color is linked to a feeling that person represents to him.

Blue for sadness, green for hope, olive for peacefulness, yellow for happiness, scarlet for lust, magenta for love...

Marco's color is salmon - the color for cowardice... because Marco is afraid of a lot of things...

Marco has always liked guys... but nobody knows that - not his Papa, his Opa, or, even, his friends! Marco is very close to his family and he is afraid of disappointing them ... so he is stuck in the closet. Even if he doesn't want to…

"I want to let my guard down and be myself."


Then, there's Oskar – Marco’s first color...

Marco and Oskar were childhood best friends and extremely close... But, one day everything changed…

"... he used to be sunglow yellow. My happy, my everything.
Now he’s rust. Dark, burnt-orange rust. A color to throw away."

They're neighbors, but Marco hasn't Seen Oskar in 15 months, since he left town for College.

Their families are friends and spend a lot of time together.
Zoe - Oskar's 16 years old sister - is kind of a little sister to Marco too.

So, when Zoe excitedly tells Marco that Oskar is coming back home, Marco's afraid... afraid of seeing Oskar again, afraid of getting hurt...

“The smile tipping the corners of his mouth. It’s been years since I’ve seen it. My stomach clenches traitorously and I white-knuckle the doorframe. I gaze at his slightly upturned lips that hold the memories of a hundred songs we sang between us, tens of plays, a handful of secrets, and six soul-destroying words.”

Marco's Papa is directing his Mama's last written play, in her memory (as he's been doing every year since she passed away)... and he asked Oskar to be a part of it!

So, Forced to be in the same play together, Marco and Oskar have to get their act together and deal with being around each other, which is hard because Marco absolutely hates Oskar...

But… Is hate ALL Marco feels for Oskar?!


Oskar wants nothing more than to fix things between them and go back to being friends.

But, that is easier said than done! ... Something happened when they were 16, that tore them apart. And, 4 years later, Marco still can't get past it.

“We’re broken.”

“Marco. What I did—what I didn’t do—I regret it every day.”


What happened 4 years ago? Can Marco go back to being Oskar's friend? Or is their friendship too broken to fix?

And Will Marco ever find the courage to come out to his family and friends?!

Read the book to find out :)

*************************************
I really liked this book!

The book initially starts when Marco is only 12 years old… and then the story gets fast forward 7 and a half years, to when Marco is 20. I didn’t like this very much because I thought it would take away on the feels of the book… gladly, it did not!

As the book is told in Marco’s POV, we get to experience in first person what happened that made Marco hate Oskar. And I did really feel it .. It brought tears to my eyes :'-(

We got some flashbacks… not many, I would have liked to have seen them more as teens.

And I would have liked to read Oskar's POV (a double POV or at least a chapter in his POV).

Still, what I loved in this book was the relationship between Marco and Oskar – it was SO WELL DEVELOPTED – NO INSTA LOVE HERE! :)

I loved Marco. He was so realistic. His fears and his lack of confidence were really understandable and realistic after what he experienced in his life. And his struggle with telling people he is gay… even to close friends, he was so afraid of not being accepted, of being treated differently… and that is so heartbreaking.

I also loved the sense of family in this book. They were all so close, so loving and, still, real, not perfect.

And Marco and Oskar together were just so SWEET, but HOT at the same time, too (there were messages in bottles and writting initials in a tree, and, also, some spicy scenes). I loved them as a couple.

So, if you like gay romance books with a bit of angst and deepness, then this is Definitely the book for you! Give it a try... I know I'll be taking a look at this author's other books :)

Full review can be found in: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1947098675