Member Review

Ramin Yazdani's relationship failed epically and very publicly when his boyfriend turned down his proposal because he thinks Ramin is 'boring'. Which is why Ramin took a wine-fueled decision to book a weeks-long trip to Italy. His plan was to go crazy with the locals, but he ends up running into his high school crush, Noah, who's there with his son and ex-wife as she looks into moving to Italy. As they both realize that the fascination and friendship they had as teens was more than a casual interest and that they've both aged like fine wine, a new relationship quickly blooms. Both have reservations about what they can provide the other and doubt that there's a future outside the magic of Italy. Will they give their second chance at love a try?

Both Noah and Ramin have massive hangups from past relationships and how they were brought up. They show up at the most inopportune moments, but this is what makes it feel realistic. They're starting the relationship during difficult moments in their lives, and they'll have to realize that happiness must come from within if they want to make it work. I loved how supportive everyone around them is, from Ramin's friends to Noah's ex, his son, and her family. I adored the fact that everyone saw their relationship as normal instead of freaking out about two men loving each other.

I will say that I was not expecting the sweet romance to turn so 'detailed' when it came to smexy times, but, boy, does Khorram know how to write those kinds of scenes. We get the buildup of emotions and the relationship before anything major happens, so it hits differently when they finally get to be fully together. It's much more of an emotional story that builds up and gets you engaged with what's happening with each of them as much as what happens between them, and that makes the moments they're together hit harder.

In the end, I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to travel to Italy to find myself some delicious gelato, wine, and maybe a tall not-so-stranger.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the great read!