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.

3.5 stars that I'm rounding up to 4 stars. This one reminds me of the author's previous book, rock, a lot, with the color gimmick and the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope. It even maintains how the writing style viscerally affected me so much. Or maybe I relate to that kind of insecurity that really fucks you in the head. Anyway, I didn't quite enjoy it as much as rock, but it's a good read nonetheless and a marked improvement over the previous book in the series.

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

All those five big stars This...this is the writing I love
The intensity was overwhelming....beautiful written .... All those colors
A bubbling Vulcan. The tension...all those feeling... amazingly written

Marco and Oskar....a friendship that goes beyond a friendship....until it's over....done...
The reason is heartbreaking, devastating...

When Oskar returns after years, Marco can't handle it. He is torn between love and anger, between his scars and his longing.
Deep down he loves Oskar but above that he has so many other devastating feelings....

Viewed from Marco's point we get to know what ruined their deep friendship years ago.
Oskar sweet strong Oskar receives all Marco's blows as if he earns them...

Their friendship is slowly getting stronger but Marco has trust issues against Oskar. They just can't live without each other. All those feelings deep inside Marco bubbling up and up. When he finds out what really happened years ago and the heartbreaking reason why Oskar left, he only can see sunglow yellow again.

It's a deep languorous and sultry read. It's harsh and so sad beautiful I had to stop now and then because my heart hurt.

The sentences are one by one beautiful written just as I hoped it would.
The colors....my god....all those colors I saw and felt them.
Outstanding developed story and layered personalities.
This author has a gift to write in a very emotional, deep moving way, with longing and yearning and thank god with a HEA else I couldn't handle it.

Highly recommend for the ones who can handle burned orange, salmon, turquoise, purple and sunglow yellow (forever :)

Copy received from Netgalley given by Publisher

A slow-build friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story told in the present tense from a single POV. It took until about 45% before I really started to enjoy this story. Marco and Oskar’s past falling out is gradually explained and Marco takes his time before he lets Oskar back into his life and finally comes out to his family. The scenes when they finally kiss and then later get together are hot. The various colours connecting the chapters and Marco's feelings for different people reminded me a little of the various stones in Rock. Overall, a recommended second chance new adult romance.

This was amazingly hot and interesting.. it had a slow burn to it and was an amazing read. The writing was wonderful and im glad i got to review it

Very good story. Fell in love with the main characters a few pages in. Would read more from this author.

I'm sure there are probably a dozen stories out there like or similar to this one but sometimes it's not so much the story as how it's told and for me this story was woven through with the colors as much as the words and enriched with characters who added yet another layer of richness to it's brilliant colors.

Marco's mama had colors for her days but for Marco it was people. He saw colors for the people in his life. Marco's first color was sunglow yellow. He saw a color that was bright and full of happiness and life...full of everything good and right. That was Oskar's color, until Oskar's color became..."Dark, burnt-orange rust. A color to throw away."

"True Colors" is told through Marco's eyes as he shares his colors with us and watch his struggle to move on from a past that's filled with heartache and pain. The pain of losing his mother in horrible car crash that left Marco scarred and then the heartache of his best his best friend's betrayal. Marco and Oskar were best friends inseparable until the day that Oskar did the unimaginable and betrayed him. I won't lie, I was pretty damned angry with Oskar and honestly I'm a firm believer in second chances but it took me a while to truly believe that Oskar deserved one.

While we are given this background the story actually starts in the present when Oskar returns to Berlin...that's right everyone...this story is set in Germany and I have to say I loved that, it was just a nice little touch of something different.

The journey that Marco and Oskar take to find their way back to each other is filled with anger, frustration, heartache, confusion and love no matter how hard Marco tries to fight it the bond of friendship and love that started when they were boys was never truly broken and texting lots and lots of texting and I loved these conversations.

I can't honestly say that I feel like I have adequate words to explain how deeply this story touched me and how much I loved it. It didn't feel so much like being run over by a steamroller as having a small child tugging gently on your hand in an effort to get your attention and then when you finally look down you realize that this is what love looks like. It's small and fragile with an underlying strength and resilience that can leave you speechless.

I was provided an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a cute (shortish) story about two friends who became enemies and then friends again (plus boyfriends). Oskar and Marco are the best of friends, as close as two can be at that age (13/14 I think). But when tragedy strikes and Marco is injured, he suffers burns on his chest and parts of his body. He's afraid to show anybody his scars and when he gets the courage to show Oskar, Marco reads his reaction as disgust. A future event [Oskar is being bullied and he says Marco looks like a Dalmatian, so of course he doesn't like him like that, and Marco overhears this. Marco of course is devastated. (hide spoiler)] has Marco running from Oskar and since that moment, Marco sees Oskar as his enemy.

Now adults, Oskar has come back home and we find out later that he came back to make up with Marco once and for all. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I felt so bad for both of these boys. I know what it's like to be bullied as a kid and Oskar hated himself for what he did. He just wanted to be left alone (and those boys wouldn't). I also felt bad for Marco. He carries so much guilt [because he prayed for ice so he and Oskar could go skating on the lake, the ice came - he and his parents were in a car accident and his mom dies. He's reminded of that every time he sees his scars. And then to lose his best friend, he was really alone for a long time. (hide spoiler)]

Anyta did a great job of giving these characters life. They felt real, and everything progressed naturally I thought. There was no rush to forgive, that took time and there was no instant reconnection. It happens at a slow, but manageable, pace, and I never had to put on my WTF face. :) Marco and Oskar are good together and were able to put the past behind them, forgive what happened and move on. Understanding and acceptance were key themes in this book.

I do recommend it, especially since you can get a copy at NetGalley. I hope you check it out.
4 stars

I really liked this one. I love how Marco uses colours throughout this story: he associates different ones with his feelings and assigns them to people in his life as well. We learn that Marco and his once best friend had a falling out. As the story progresses, bit by bit, we get the reveal of what really went down. This was done really well I think and through Marco's flashbacks of what led up to him and Oskar not being friends for all those years.

It's all wrapped up in Marco's insecurities about his burns. Burns he sustained in an accident that took his mothers life. Now Oskar's back and all these old insecurities are rearing their head again. And now that Marco's dad is including Oskar in his (Marco's) late mother's play, he can't even escape of of the hurt, anger and sadness that's bombarding him.

I adored the way their relationship grew, from them finally talking it out, to coming back to being friends, all the while it's so obvious that something more is simmering beneath the surface to finally lovers!

The supporting characters were great as well. Well fleshed out, and so Marco's friends were so supportive of him when he does come out. that scene near the end with Marco's Opa, where he just accepts him (i knew Opa was already clued in on what was going on with Marco and Oska, you always gotta look out for those old ones lol) made me want to cry.

Oskar's parents on the other hand, whoooo boy they pissed me off so much, so I guess the author did a good job of creating parents who made Oskar's whole coming out about them. Damn they got me heated. I really felt for Oskar there, that his parents made it seem like their support was basically a chore. At the very end they seemed like they were trying to be better though.

Oskar and Marco finally getting together, finally being intimate with each other was so well crafted and felt so real. *cue the tears* Marco was so vulnerable there and Oskar didn't rush him, made Marco feel safe and cared for and loved. As he should in that situation.

So i really liked this one a lot :D

True Colors by Anyta Sunday

Poetic

Heartwarming

Emotional

Healing

Forgiving

and

Lovely

I can't recommend this beautiful enemies to lovers, best friends to lovers story. 4.5 Stars.

Oskar used to be Marco’s best friend. His everything. His sunshine yellow. But now he's the color of rust because Oskar failed Marco when he needed him and said some harsh words that couldn't be unheard or taken back. So now Oskar is the color of rust and he and Marco are both broken because of it.

Since the falling out of their friendship Marco has been in hiding. He hides behind long sleeves that therefore hide his scars. He hides behind his scars in order to keep his distance from letting anyone get too close physically or sexually. He doesn't dare show what he deems as his imperfections to anyone. He has friends but he keeps them at an arms length as well. No one really knows all of him. Well, except for Oskar. And now he's back and Marco is finding his world becoming unraveled by his appearance in his life again after 15 long months.

Marco has a close relationship with Zoe who just happens to be Oskar's little sister. He took the role of older brother when Oskar left and has since formed a sister and brother relationship with her. When Zoe see's the distance and tension between her brother and Marco she demands that they put their differences aside and try to get along for her. With both guys willing to do anything for her, they try.

Marco learns some important information about the time when Oskar betrayed his trust. I think after learning this is when Marco starts to let down his guard and starts trusting Oskar little by little. He also learns the boy who was once his everything is also gay. Oskar is out and Marco is still doing what he has done since Oskar hurt him; hiding. He's the color of salmon; cowardice.

Soon Marco finds his courage. His color changes and we get to see him happy and the acceptance of himself that he was working so hard to get to in the book. It was gratifying. I loved his and Oskar's story.

The story is told beautifully. I loved the writing. I loved that it was character driven. I even enjoyed the slow burn. I'm learning that the slow burn is so worth the ending when it comes to this author's story-telling. The build up is so worth the wait.

I loved the color theme that this book had. It seemed so easy to sum all your feelings up in just a color. As if saying just one word, one color, could hold the meaning of so many emotions. And it did. It totally worked.

3.5 Mildly spoilery

This was a very sweet second chances romance. I liked that it was a slow burn and both characters were just lovely and sweet. I could relate to Marco's self-consciousness and Oskar's guilt. The sex is hot, without being porny and I liked the family involvement.

But I had a few problems too. The biggest one being that, though I totally get that what Oskar said was traumatizing to Marco, as well as the self-sabotaging aspect of the event, but they had been best friends for nine years. I don't think it would have been enough to suddenly (and I mean cold turkey) throw the friendship out the window.

Additionally, I couldn't fathom the logistics of it. The book reads like the event happened and they never saw each-other again. For example, Oskar's nose was broken the next day and years later, when they meet again, Oskar wondered how it happened. But they lived next door to one another. Their bedroom windows faced one another. Their families hung out. Marco was a second brother to Oskar's sister and basically mentored her. So, how exactly did they simply never speak again? How did they manage to never find themselves alone together with Oskar apologizing, Marco accepting and both moving on in one way or another? It stretched my suspension of belief too far.

Similarly, there's a bully from the past that shows up. Turns out he's matured out of being a dick and sought out one of the characters to apologize. The one that moved away, I might add. So, why only the one and not the other, the one that stayed in town and was both more easily accessed and more grievously harmed?

I had a little trouble following Marco's sudden turn around too. I mean, he had to stop hating Oskar at some point in order for the book to progress, but it felt very sudden. And this after I'd spent most of the book wondering how both families seemed to not know what happened between the boys. Or, if they did, how they could be so heartless and cruel as to so blithely force Marco together with someone who hurt him so badly. So, either they were all blind or hard-hearted or the author just hoped the reader wouldn't look too closely at this point.

Lastly, while it's interesting that the book was set in Berlin, Germany, honestly, it could have been New Brunswick or Nashville for all the difference the setting made to the story. While I'd have hated for the author to throw in a whole lot of German stereotypes, the book and its characters felt very American. If not for the city names I would have NEVER known it wasn't set in some nameless American city.

I mostly loved this. I thought the writing was lovely and the pairing sweet. I also had no problem following it, despite it being a sequel. (In fact, I didn't know it was a sequel until I finished it and looked on GR to review it.) I'll definitely be reading more of Sunday's writing, but I thought this one had some holes in it, leaving me with a few too many questions.