A nuanced story of the love between two men in Edwardian England as they work their way through politics, art, law, religion, and so many more things. It's a fascinating historical romance but its pace can be a bit lackluster and I did find the repetitive description of their age gap annoying after a while. It took me a bit longer than normal to finish as the pacing and sometimes prose threw up verbal roadblocks for me where I had to set it down and pick it up after a while. The description drew me in but the book wasn't as captivating as I'd hoped.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

I got about 50% in and then DNF. I think I was not in the right frame of mind for this book when I was reading it and it’s a me problem, not the book.

This book was really well written, and very sad. A historical fiction story of two men who fall in love, but cannot be together.

The relationship starts pretty quickly in the beginning, and it’s a lot of them struggling with the relationship and having to keep it in secret because being together was illegal at the time and could have gotten them arrested.

The whole novel is the two main characters leaving each other and eventually finding their way back. If you’re hoping for a happy ending with this novel, you won’t get one. I felt unsatisfied by the ending, though I guess with the time frame what other outcome could we expect? I was just reading hoping for the best.

Overall, like I said this was a well written, heartbreaking story. If you’re in a mood for a sad love story, pick this one up.

Thank you @regal_house_publishing and @netgalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This is a gorgeously detailed literary historical fiction novel set in the Midlands and London during the early years of the 20th century. We know the end of the affair before we know how it started. The journey to get there describes the happiness and heartbreak in the relationship between two men, Anton and Robbie. Politics, art, writing, and beloved friends fill the story, the story itself told with honest, unflinching prose. The rural Midlands take on a character of its own, as does the art world in London, reflecting both the torments and the triumph of these two men. Not a romance, no HEA here, but a starkly detailed, complicated journey of finding oneself, coming of age, and maturing.
I loved it, had me in tears in places; it’s the kind of novel that follows you around long after you’ve finished it. I can see the house, the beloved vicar, the art gallery still. Highly recommended for literary historical (especially LGBTQ history) fiction lovers.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

thank you Netgalley and Regal House Publishing for the e-review copy.

after finishing The Boy in the Rain as part of my line-up of LGBTQ+ books for Pride, it once again reminds me why i can't help going back to historical fiction.

Beautiful and flawed characters who I couldn’t help but root for. Complex and emotional almost romance that I think many will love.

Cowell’s descriptions of art, settings, and longing are all excellent. You can clearly see Cowell’s done her historical homework in crafting the novel. For the first two sections of the novel, I was enjoying reading the internal struggles of main characters Robbie and Anton, not just with their budding relationship, but with their different forms of baggage (e.g., Robbie’s poor relationship with his uncle, Anton’s disinterest in banking and his attempts to remain in his marriage). I also really liked the minor characters in the novel, particularly the Vicar and Annie.

However, the longer the book went, the more I became disinterested. The on-again-off-again relationship between Robbie and Anton, however accurate to the time period and the characters, became tiring. I also struggled at times with keeping up with shifting scenes. Once in a scene, I could get engrossed, but things moved quickly and without much clear telegraphing. Even the sections clearly labeled by year didn’t help much in keeping track of events. There were many jumps in emotion, location, and time, so this ended up being a large weakness.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Regal House Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book, it's messy, flawed, and the characters are so real. Their dynamic was well thought out and executed.

The Boy in the Rain is an artfully written story of the love of two men in England in the early 1900s. There is a wonderful interplay between the artistic community and the political community that each character comes from. It is written almost like a portrait of each main character, all supporting characters are the vivid details in the background as the lovers try to work their way past religion, law, politics, age, and art. A tender rendering of the lives of the two lovers as they work through themselves, their love, and a society that would rather they didn’t exist. A wonderful gay historical romance for lovers of art and the politics that keep people apart.

Very middle of the road book. Did I absolutely love it? No. Did I hate it with every fiber of my being? No.

I absolutely devoured this book. I am amazed this novel has not taken off. I really hope people give this heartbreaking prose a chance. It’s truly breathtaking work from a new voice (at least to me.) I will say this is an exhausting read in some ways. But well worth it!

I do not understand myself sometimes, because I always love these kinds of books — 4.5 ⭐️!!

The storyline was focusing on the development between two MCs but the focus part is on Robbie. The storyline was also beautifully written in the context “I’m gonna devour this book or rather the opposite” and yup, it was completely the opposite. Even though it was focusing on the development of finding the true self of Robie, the plot is quite mesmerizing with little historical heritage in it. The writing was also understandable and relaxing enough to read. However, because this one was claimed as Historical, it was expected that few choices of words were unfamiliar to my own terms. Also, inside the storyline, several political terms and issues were written well when it comes to Anton. The story of how Robbie decided on what he had purposed in his life was quite a breakthrough to my heart because he was trying to find his true self with his own terms. Then, it is also proof to every reader that not many things in life have butterfly and rainbows, the path is not always easy and whatever happens, the choice in this life is yours because this is your life. It was beautiful and the choice he took for the sake of their love, hold me — wait, is this the ending????? I want more!!

The Characters. Every character in this book has their own traits and the beautiful things about these characters in this book were how they dealt with their own past and moved on. Some of them probably have some grudge but they come eventually to terms with moving on. Also, from the moment the emotion gathered between Robbie and Anton, how they express their own characteristic, how society sees them, what struggles they have to bear the love they have, and how they reconciled and finally choose the path they think it would be best for them both are unique. I think I fell in love again.

The Issue and History in this book is too damn much to bear, especially in that certain era. It took long enough to figure out one by one what this book can express at that specific time with the longing for love and home our two MCs has. I was definitely surprised that this book has these kinds of traits that you want to keep continue reading because of the unique traits between one artist and one unknown speaker in England. The historical traits mostly focus on England but yeah, it was mentioned several time in the storyline. Explicitly.

➊ The Stereotype, many stereotypes things were pointed out in this book, those are:
¹ Drawing is for girls, who made that kind of stereotype anyway, I wonder? I mean artist was born as artists in their own blood regardless of what gender they are. This one was truly heartbreaking for Robbie because he was a good artist on his own term and when I know the background story he had while he was living with his own uncle, I want to smash someone’s head.
² Priest must please everyone in his parish, I get that this term still has some stereotype in it because a priest is known or shown as the bridge between humans and God. However, are those humans also forget that “this priest” is also a human being?
³ Loving the same gender. In that certain era, it was a disgrace and a shame to the core, because homo-phobic is still spread everywhere and it is also categorized as a sin, even. They also mentioned that in that specific era, the Gays will be locked up in prison and the judges and people surrounding them will beat them or rather they’ll be killed. It was horrible and cruel even though we know that certain era was not as good as nowadays. However, we cannot say that nowadays is also a hell lot better for LGBTQ+ people.
➋ The Child is never a burden. These families between Robbie and Anton, why do they always feel like the children are always a burden to them? Not saying about Robbie’s parents but his other relatives, they blame him because he was like ruining his mother's life by his birth. Then this is about Anton as well, they both were broken people with the same but different backgrounds. Even in that certain era, people still have these thoughts, how about people nowadays? — its getting worse
➌ The fatherly love, this one was touched my heart because Robbie found this love he never had from the unexpected person, the priest. They do not develop some romantic relationship, but rather the relationship that touched my heart the most. I am just in love with these two relationships because it is pretty heartwarming
➍ Coping mechanism. People have their own on applying this kind of mechanism in their life. In this case, Robbie is by needing a kinship from the other party. It was pretty heartbroken seeing how Robbie coping with this one while he still guessing his own self.
➎ The Feeling of Home. This book showed that a home is a person indeed.
➏ The different longing being The Woman. I mean this was focusing on Robbie because the longing he was feeling is about being the woman in the relationship. Based on how his past was written and what happened with his love throughout the story, no wonder he has this specific thought.
➐ Don’t Trust too much. Society at that specific time has some issues with putting too much trust in people and as a result, it caused a thorn between them. Also, it might as well be the cause of why people nowadays always take precautions towards each other. It must have some connection somehow lol

I always thought that this book is kind of a book written by Anton showing his love and how Robbie was in their life. Also, when Mr. Donovan mentioned that “the young man questions” Robbie, I was never had thought of that before but he was open up my eyes and wondering maybe Anton did that because of this.

Robbies characteristic in this book was written too damn well. I shed my tears several time when it comes to him. He was just a broken child ffs. Oh, I forgot to mention, Robbie as an artist is supposed to be known, he was the one who has open up my eyes that this portrait painter has a way with words and the world needs to learn from him when it comes to the time he painted.

Overall, this book has its own way to my heart and the ending was something else. I do need more. I wasn’t expecting much from this book and to be honest, got bored in the middle of it. But when you keep reading it, they have some special bond for the heart of longing for home and love. The supporting characters even have their own special traits in my heart. This book was a dam well written and every letter inside this book has a special meaning. Also, the writing is a chef kiss indeed. I intend to look forward to her work in the future!

Thank you for Netgalley giving me the privilege to read the book before publication day

This book was hard to get through. The characters were not that interesting and the plot was just different scenes but the same beat over and over again. I didn't find the writing very engaging and probably would have dnfed if I had gotten it on my own.

I wish I'd enjoyed Stephanie Cowell's The Boy in the Rain more. I felt like Cowell lined up all the elements that could have made a quality book--even a classic. However, there are major problems with execution: particularly characterization and dialogue. I never really cared about any of the characters, because there wasn't much to care about. They were, unfortunately, underwritten. The dialogue often felt forced and purposefully opaque. It was lacking a certain verisimilitude. The end result was somehow less than the sum of its parts. I'm giving it three stars, because I feel like there is an audience for this book. I know there is a reader that it will mean something to... it just isn't me.

The Boy in the Rain by Stephanie Cowell
#lbgtqia+
#historicalfiction
#sliceoflife
#regalhousepublishing published 6/1/23

This book did certainly show what it might have been like for a 2 men to try to live as their natural selves in the beginning of the 20th century if they were gay. But these were also not ordinary men to begin with. A rich man and an artist. They both have been the students of the same vicar. And were sent there to learn how to live life properly. It did show many or the obstacles they each endured.

That said... This was an OK enough book. I will round up for ratings bc at no point did I think about df it. It just seemed to go on and on. It was not a quick read. I felt like it was too long. I'm wondering if the author, a woman, is even gay. I'm wondering if this story would have been better if it was written my a gay man instead of a woman.

I'm sorry. I just didn't seem to want to always be reading it. And it was not very long at only 326pgs.

#NetGalley
#gayartist
#1900s
#bookstagram #bookreview #booknerdsbookreview

The Boy in the Rain is a shattering love story set in an english countryside in the early 1900's. Robbie and Anton stole my heart then shattered it in a million pieces. The level of investment the author invoked from the reader had me nonstop reading.

Cowell has captured the essence of gay life in early England between these two men. Their story is about living in fear and their inability to love and share their life together over the span of a decade. Robbie and Anton's passion had me rooting for their happily ever after.

This historical fiction novel is an intimate LGBTQ love story, and it is NOT to be missed in your reading for 2023!
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Thank you Regal House Publishing for the ARC of this novel.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this, however I will have to DNF it!

I keep picking this book up hoping that I was just not in the right mood the last time I picked it up, but I cannot for the life of me get into it. The writing is... okay... but incredibly bland and between the lack of descriptiveness and atmosphere and the awkward dialogue, this book is just failing to hold my attention, and I think I'm more likely to just put myself into a reading slump if I try to finish it than make any actual progress.

The Boy in the Rain is a beautiful, messy, heartbreaking story of love during a time when who you love could condemn you. Robbie and Anton's story takes place over a 10 year period and we experience the beginning, highs, and lows of their relationship as Robbie develops himself as a respected portrait artist and Anton as he redevelops his passion for the socialist cause. The ending is so bittersweet and heartwrenching wrenching, but leaves open the possibility for a happier ending in a future time.
Overall, it was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction and acknowledges the truth that LGBTQ relationships have existed in the past even if they were not acknowledged.

Artfully crafted, beautiful in detail and depth, The The Boy in the Rain deserves reading. I will note that it was too sexually explicit for me, so I could not read every word, however, I leapt ahead easily, skipping a few scenes throughout.

The scenes were scattered and few between, mostly focusing on the story itself. i.e. the sexual scenes added to the story without taking over the story.

Even so, the book captured me completely. This is something I have not said of a novel in a long time. It’s the sort of book you could easily stay up all night reading. Again, that is something I’ve not done in a long time.

The story is that of forbidden love in a time when such love was not only looked down upon, but illegal, resulting in two years hard time in a labor camp, with many folks dying as a result from disease, abuse, and overwork.

Mention of famous folks, like Oscar Wilde, who experienced such horrors, helped to bring into reality the painful historicity of this atrocity. Reading the story entrenches you into the emotions and feelings it involves being so bitterly rejected societally. That nothing about who you are is acceptable is a painful, moving, and enlightening experience.

The characters filled my heart with warmth with beautiful development, largely why I embraced the reading of it, which drew me in further.

The story is a touch controversial for anyone who was raised conservatively such as I was, but nonetheless, it was challenging for me in a good way – an opportunity to embrace my beliefs more fully without compromising the story as if it were about me.

The setting is vivid and draws you in, leading you to forget that you’re not in an old painting of London and Nottingham. The characters are mostly warm and compassionate. Some are confusing, others surprising, all extremely well crafted and heartbreakingly developed.

If you can handle the slightly erotic elements and infidelity, or know how to skip them, and you want a beautiful, challenging story, this book is a high recommendation from me.