Stayed With Me for Days
If you advertise a book as Hadestown meets You’ve Reached Sam, you already had me at Hadestown.
This book had me smiling so hard that I truly can’t stop recommending it to everyone. It was a beautiful introduction to the author’s work—exceptionally well-written, thoughtful, and a joy to read. Making this an LGBTQ+ romance was a total win!
The way the author describes grief through August following the loss of his boyfriend had me on my knees. Anyone who has suffered unimaginable loss will recognize that deep, quiet ache that never truly goes away—it feels like a phantom limb, where even the smallest thing can make you feel like you’re drowning. Watching August process his blame and wish it had been him instead was heartbreaking; my heart ached for him on every page.
But this book wasn’t all sadness—far from it! I absolutely loved our broody Underworld boy, Cary, and his friend Henri. Their dynamic was so much fun, and I would read an entire spin-off book about Henri in a heartbeat. Every single character felt intentional and added depth to the reading experience, which makes me so curious to dive into the rest of this author’s backlog.
Seeing the relationship between Cary and August grow as they learned from each other was such a highlight. I originally planned to give this 4 stars, but because this story stayed with me for days after turning the final page, I’m easily bumping it up to 4.5 stars! 🌟
