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 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.

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.

4.5 Stars

Well…I just found a new auto-buy author, and I’m pretty giddy about it. In fact, I read two of her books this weekend, and have already started a third. So, that should give some indication of how much her writing clicked with me. I’m talking about Anyta Sunday, and I know I’m tardy to the party, but I was in book bliss on Saturday after discovering how much I enjoyed her style. Such a happy reading girl was I. 🙂

True Colors was so, so lovely, you guys. I truly adored both Marco and Oskar, and honestly, everything about this story. Though tagged as enemies-to-lovers, it’s actually friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, as Marco and Oskar were the best of friends for most of their lives—until one horrible mistake in judgement and moment of cowardice ripped them apart. It has been years since Marco and Oskar were friends, and fifteen months since Oskar moved away, but now he has come back home to Berlin, and Marco must find a way to face the past. And, Oskar must fix his life’s biggest regret. I loved the emotion in this line, describing what it was like for Marco to see Oskar again:

“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.”
Growing up, Marco and Oskar were next-door neighbors, and their families were extremely close. In Oskar’s absence, Marco has remained as an amazing older brother figure to Oskar’s sixteen-year-old sister, Zoe. The relationship between Marco and Zoe is fantastic. I loved how Marco made seeing her basketball games a priority, and that they had traditions of their own. Zoe was also clearly a fixture in the Brandt household, evidenced by the easy nature of her interactions with Marco’s father and grandfather. And, when Oskar comes home, we also see how much he cares for Marco’s family, particularly the love he shows Opa. Sunday did a beautiful job of building these connections and making the reader care about all the characters.

I also really enjoyed the flow of the book. The author uses some flashbacks to flesh out the story, beginning with the first two wonderfully written chapters, Black and Sunglow Yellow. The brief glimpses of the past are instrumental to building the history, of course, and tie in perfectly to the rest of the story. Sunday also uses one of my favorite devices, that of text message exchanges between the characters, to rebuild the relationship between Oskar and Marco. We are seeing this tool used more and more in contemporary romances, and it’s such a great way to see inside both characters and move the story along.

This is definitely a very slow burn, but it’s done so well. The love between Marco and Oskar is never truly in question—at least it wasn’t to me—but there is a lot of rebuilding that needs to be done. The hurt that Oskar inflicted on Marco was immense and long-lasting. Marco has been unable to have any type of romantic relationship because of the insecurity and fear of rejection that are so deeply ingrained in him from the past. I hated how that hurt clung so hard to Marco. He so deserves to be happy. They both do. Seeing them get their chance was worth every bit of time waiting for the payoff. And, this line…guhhhh…

“My skin is stained with past pain. The boy who made me feel every inch of its ugliness is the man who’s kissing me like I might still be beautiful.”
Gorgeous stuff, right?? But, I need to stop rambling on…So, quickly, a couple of other things I loved…I loved the play that is an ongoing part of the plotline. This is the traditional Christmas play that Marco’s mama always wrote, which his papa has been carrying on in her absence. This year’s play is special because it’s meant to try to bring Oskar and Marco back together. It was an integral part of the story, and I loved how it was woven in. And, of course, I have to mention the colors. Marco assigns colors to people in the same way that his mama used to use them to describe what kind of day it was. Blue for sadness, yellow for happiness, magenta for love, etc. The colors were a beautiful part of the book and were brilliantly used as the chapter titles.

True Colors is the second book in Sunday’s True Love series but works one hundred percent as a standalone. I’m going to go back and read Ben and Sebastian’s story at some point, for sure, but it is absolutely not necessary to read it first. I couldn’t be happier that I decided to jump on this one! You guys should, without question, give it a go.

*4.5 stars*

Anyta Sunday is my go-to author for contemporary romance. She just writes the slow-burn romances that I like to read! She rarely lets me down, and she won me over again with True Colors.

True Colors is a second-chance romance between two friends whose friendship crumbled from a series of events that happened years ago. I love when there is a hurtful situation in the past and the two MCs have to get past it. I'm a sucker for bullies-to-lovers stories, and while this one isn't quite like that, there are major obstacles that these two MCs have to overcome.

I don't think it's a big spoiler to say that one of the MCs has some scarring that he is very self-conscious about. It's more or less in the blurb. Scarring is a topic near and dear to me, and while my facial scars from an accident have faded, I still have a soft spot for a scarred MC. There is something very vulnerable about having a scar; you feel exposed, flayed open, and ready for criticism. I related big time to Marco, the MC with the scars, and I REALLY wanted Oskar to grovel for forgiveness, perhaps even more than Marco did.

The story is a lovely slow burn. It takes its time and allows for the hurt to resolve naturally. I felt the attraction and chemistry, and I loved how it all unfolded. Oh, and we get a *virgin* MC... guys, you know how I go gaga for a virgin!

There is also a lot of family involvement in this story, just so readers know. I didn't mind, but some people might not like the amount of pagetime spent on issues with secondary characters.

The only thing I would change is the "color" aspect of the story. I found that to be a little gimmicky and unnecessary. In fact, it reminded me a little of rock, which is the only Anyta Sunday book that I haven't liked.

Overall, this book was nearly perfect. A little angsty, a little second chance romance, a little family-oriented, and they all came together to make for a wholly satisfying read.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Quite a treat for a gloomy evening. Nice happy ending and steamy sex was everything I've expected. Good job.