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Izzy and the Right Answer
Jamie “Izzy� Islington is an ace, femme, neuroatypical college junior with anxiety, an interest in coding and poetry, and difficulty identifying his own emotions. He’s had no interest in romantic love until very recently, when he realized he has a crush on someone in his circle of friends—although he has no intention of doing anything about it. Izzy thinks every problem through to the correct solution, and he knows that the initial fascination some people have for him quickly fades, and no one is interested in actually dating him. Especially not someone special like Rocco. Rocco Baglieri is a hard-working, reserved student-athlete. He gets especially quiet with Izzy, although he’s more comfortable around everyone else, especially their mutual friend, Ronnie. Which would bother Izzy more, except that Izzy is all smiles for Ronnie too. Warm and giving Ronnie Acebedo is sunshine personified. He once had a crush on Izzy during their first year, but got over it and is now one of Izzy’s closest friends. Then a drunken night and Izzy’s new awareness of romantic feelings force him to finally notice some things—like that he isn’t the only one pining. To Izzy, the solution to this triangle is obvious—if he disappears, Rocco and Ronnie will have a straight line to each other. But brilliant though he is, Izzy forgets that Ronnie and Rocco have minds—and hearts—of their own, and there are more options than lines or triangles. The right answer might be something else entirely. An m/m/m romance
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2019
28 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
R. Cooper
75books951followersI'm R. Cooper, a somewhat absentminded, often distracted, writer of queer romance. I'm probably most known for the Being(s) in Love series and The Suitable 'Verse stories. Also the occasional story about witches or firefighters in love.
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You can visit my website for updates or sign up for my . My newsletter is free! And comes out once a month or once every two months or so.
Otherwise... have some social media links if you want updates and whatever the hell else I am talking about.
**With Meta's current policies, I do not use FB or Insta or Threads for anything but the bare minimum.**
You can also support me on Patreon if you like
If you just want book release updates, I have a .
Also, I now have a where I will try to track my reading in an organized fashion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
April 20, 2019
Beautiful
5 🌟
Wow I think Iz has just about taken over from Clematis as my favourite R Cooper character.
R Cooper is an author I’m a big fan of. She has a standard trope of miscommunication and characters having half conversations, that either works well within the story or frustrates me. Obviously it works for me, even when it frustrates me, because she is one of my favourites and I pick up everything she releases.
In this one it worked and worked well, all due to Iz. He genuinely didn’t understand the cues most people take for granted, but he understood that and tried his best to still do what he thought was right for everyone. Ronnie and Rocco were a great match for him as they gently prodded and tried to steer him in the right direction without actually pushing him past his boundaries and in the same time allowing him to come to his own conclusions. Yes he needed a bit of a heavier helping hand as he missed some of the subtle clues from them but they got there in the end.
Iz’s confusion and his decision to help Ronnie and Rocco get together was well done, I felt for him and understood why he did it. I really felt like I understood what he was going through, and that is a big thing for me, because while I empathise I generally don’t fully understand what some of the characters I read are going through as I have no personal reference to draw from.
I loved the group of friends. Iz has surrounded himself with people who just accept Iz as Iz and never make him feel like he is different and should be worried about his quirks. Patricio was a great best friend. He listened and just lets Iz talk and then gently questioned and suggested things for Iz to think about without forcing his opinion or pushing Iz one way or another.
When I read an R Cooper book I try and slow it down, because she has an ability to make every conversation count even when it seems like just a normal conversation and weaves them into the bones of the story, so by the time the end has come and I see how it’s all played out I want to go back and immediately start again, that way I can pick up on all of these little nuggets I’ve missed in the first read through. This one was no exception and I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed and not start it again
I’d recommend this one to everyone.
5 🌟
Wow I think Iz has just about taken over from Clematis as my favourite R Cooper character.
R Cooper is an author I’m a big fan of. She has a standard trope of miscommunication and characters having half conversations, that either works well within the story or frustrates me. Obviously it works for me, even when it frustrates me, because she is one of my favourites and I pick up everything she releases.
In this one it worked and worked well, all due to Iz. He genuinely didn’t understand the cues most people take for granted, but he understood that and tried his best to still do what he thought was right for everyone. Ronnie and Rocco were a great match for him as they gently prodded and tried to steer him in the right direction without actually pushing him past his boundaries and in the same time allowing him to come to his own conclusions. Yes he needed a bit of a heavier helping hand as he missed some of the subtle clues from them but they got there in the end.
Iz’s confusion and his decision to help Ronnie and Rocco get together was well done, I felt for him and understood why he did it. I really felt like I understood what he was going through, and that is a big thing for me, because while I empathise I generally don’t fully understand what some of the characters I read are going through as I have no personal reference to draw from.
I loved the group of friends. Iz has surrounded himself with people who just accept Iz as Iz and never make him feel like he is different and should be worried about his quirks. Patricio was a great best friend. He listened and just lets Iz talk and then gently questioned and suggested things for Iz to think about without forcing his opinion or pushing Iz one way or another.
When I read an R Cooper book I try and slow it down, because she has an ability to make every conversation count even when it seems like just a normal conversation and weaves them into the bones of the story, so by the time the end has come and I see how it’s all played out I want to go back and immediately start again, that way I can pick up on all of these little nuggets I’ve missed in the first read through. This one was no exception and I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed and not start it again
I’d recommend this one to everyone.
November 9, 2024
I don't usually write reviews but there is not a lot of them and this book really deserves the praise. I liked everything about it, I was so invested in Izzy and his happiness.
It's really rare to read atypical characters well fleshed out, where you 'see' and live through their different way of seeing the world instead of just being told they feel/get things differently.
Well done, I really beautiful and enjoyable read !
It's really rare to read atypical characters well fleshed out, where you 'see' and live through their different way of seeing the world instead of just being told they feel/get things differently.
Well done, I really beautiful and enjoyable read !
June 2, 2019
I have really mixed feelings about this book. Which I hate because this is one of my top five favorite authors in the world, but I feel like this book didn't handle some topics as well as it could have.
Our protagonist is neurodivergent, femme in a genderfluid way (tho he doesn't use that label in the book), ace-spec, questions whether he is aro-spec, and probably has anxiety. The story deals with non-monogamy and polyamory (though it never uses either term).
The story is about him realizing he's in love with one of his friends, They muddle through figuring out what they mean to one another and dealing with old hurts until eventually deciding
I'm demisexual and polyamorous, and I was REALLY EXCITED to see two of my identities represented on the page, but I didn't whole-heartedly love the way either one was represented. The ace rep was 99.9% good and I think my issue with it might be my own personal hang-up, but the polyam rep was kind of abysmal.
Polyamorous Representation
First of all... the terms non-monogamy, triad, polyamory, open relationship, etc. are never used in the book. Which felt a little weird, first of all, since it's 2019 and most people are aware of the concept, and it stung a little that they wouldn't use the terms.
But my biggest issue with this is that they don't actually talk about their relationship or what they are looking for at all. There is no communication about it, to the point that one character doesn't even realize he's in a relationship at all. Which isn't healthy or realistic, for one thing, but didn't make for a satisfying romantic conclusion either, since I ended both of those scenes going "...Wait are they together or not?"
Asexual Representation
Iz describes himself to others as being ace, or grey-ace throughout the book. On the whole, I feel like the book did a great job with discussing it, explaining what it means to be ace without over-explaining it and turning the book into an Ace 101 lecture. Iz's friends and partners tease him about being ace in a friendly way, and are always careful of boundaries when it comes to physical affection. There wasn't any aphobic bullshit... It acknowledged some people have responded poorly to Iz's being ace without including any scenes that feel like a punch in the gut. So I really, really appreciated it.
The kind of frustrating thing for me is that because the character is ace, we never saw on-page sex between him and his partners. In the epilogue and there is a ton of sexual content in the book when it comes to other characters discussing their sex lives or being sexual in front of Iz, but for me, a key piece of the story was missing when we didn't get to actually see how these characters approached sex together.
R. Cooper's other works are HEAVILY sexual with lots of on-page extremely graphic sex, so I feel like the only reason it was omitted from this book was because the character was ace, and I kind of really dislike that? I was so, so curious how they would navigate a sexual relationship together (especially after how many miscommunications these people were having), and personally it just kind of felt like "Well, this is an ace character, so we can't show them having sex," when like... Okay, but it's an ace character who is involved in a sexual relationship. So...?
Also... Many aces have deep wounds regarding allosexual partners would only date the ace person if they were allowed to have sex with others. It happens often enough that I know some people are very, very hurt by that. In this book, Iz is very worried about his partners' ability to have sex with someone. One of the key reasons he insists that they shouldn't date him is because he's ace and he wants to make sure their sexual needs are being fulfilled. That may have been true to the character, but it felt.... kind of weird that it was such a major point in the book. And I think this could bring up very bad feelings in aces who have been involved in unhealthy versions of this situation before.
(I can't really comment on how the neurodivergent rep was... I thought it was good, like there wasn't anything that stood out to me as YIKES, but it's not my area of expertise at all.)
Idk, man. I love R. Cooper and her writing, but I didn't love this book. It was confusing and stressful more than it was romantic, and I ended the book feeling kind of let down.
Our protagonist is neurodivergent, femme in a genderfluid way (tho he doesn't use that label in the book), ace-spec, questions whether he is aro-spec, and probably has anxiety. The story deals with non-monogamy and polyamory (though it never uses either term).
The story is about him realizing he's in love with one of his friends, They muddle through figuring out what they mean to one another and dealing with old hurts until eventually deciding
I'm demisexual and polyamorous, and I was REALLY EXCITED to see two of my identities represented on the page, but I didn't whole-heartedly love the way either one was represented. The ace rep was 99.9% good and I think my issue with it might be my own personal hang-up, but the polyam rep was kind of abysmal.
Polyamorous Representation
First of all... the terms non-monogamy, triad, polyamory, open relationship, etc. are never used in the book. Which felt a little weird, first of all, since it's 2019 and most people are aware of the concept, and it stung a little that they wouldn't use the terms.
But my biggest issue with this is that they don't actually talk about their relationship or what they are looking for at all. There is no communication about it, to the point that one character doesn't even realize he's in a relationship at all. Which isn't healthy or realistic, for one thing, but didn't make for a satisfying romantic conclusion either, since I ended both of those scenes going "...Wait are they together or not?"
Asexual Representation
Iz describes himself to others as being ace, or grey-ace throughout the book. On the whole, I feel like the book did a great job with discussing it, explaining what it means to be ace without over-explaining it and turning the book into an Ace 101 lecture. Iz's friends and partners tease him about being ace in a friendly way, and are always careful of boundaries when it comes to physical affection. There wasn't any aphobic bullshit... It acknowledged some people have responded poorly to Iz's being ace without including any scenes that feel like a punch in the gut. So I really, really appreciated it.
The kind of frustrating thing for me is that because the character is ace, we never saw on-page sex between him and his partners. In the epilogue and there is a ton of sexual content in the book when it comes to other characters discussing their sex lives or being sexual in front of Iz, but for me, a key piece of the story was missing when we didn't get to actually see how these characters approached sex together.
R. Cooper's other works are HEAVILY sexual with lots of on-page extremely graphic sex, so I feel like the only reason it was omitted from this book was because the character was ace, and I kind of really dislike that? I was so, so curious how they would navigate a sexual relationship together (especially after how many miscommunications these people were having), and personally it just kind of felt like "Well, this is an ace character, so we can't show them having sex," when like... Okay, but it's an ace character who is involved in a sexual relationship. So...?
Also... Many aces have deep wounds regarding allosexual partners would only date the ace person if they were allowed to have sex with others. It happens often enough that I know some people are very, very hurt by that. In this book, Iz is very worried about his partners' ability to have sex with someone. One of the key reasons he insists that they shouldn't date him is because he's ace and he wants to make sure their sexual needs are being fulfilled. That may have been true to the character, but it felt.... kind of weird that it was such a major point in the book. And I think this could bring up very bad feelings in aces who have been involved in unhealthy versions of this situation before.
(I can't really comment on how the neurodivergent rep was... I thought it was good, like there wasn't anything that stood out to me as YIKES, but it's not my area of expertise at all.)
Idk, man. I love R. Cooper and her writing, but I didn't love this book. It was confusing and stressful more than it was romantic, and I ended the book feeling kind of let down.
October 9, 2019
As a Ace/Grey-sexual person, this made me happy. As a ADHD/Asperger person this made me EXTREMELY happy. There are some things everyone takes for granted, like knowing words and glances and reading social ques. Some people just don't understand and ignore us or force us to try to keep up, which is not fair. This book shows that while it isn't easy, people who have unusual conditions or 'things' that can't (and shouldn't) be fixed can be happy and loved and accepted. For everything.
Izzy is my favorite character and I root for him to understand the social ques more than any other part of the book. I wish we got to see him interact with his best friend more, but I also wish we get a story of him and his tattoo crush.
It was really hard to put this book down, every time I would prepare for a 'resting period', Izzy would think about something and I wanted to see him work it out. Then there was Rocco who would be so amazing I wanted him for myself. And finally, Rocco. Rocco was everything I did not expect and everything I did, but better.
This story is about learning about feelings and how to deal with them and how they don't always make sense or make sense right away. It's about taking time and listening to yourself, those you love/trust. and reason; and it's about throwing all that away when you figure out what makes you and those you care about happy.
I REALLY want to see a sequel (or short story. Or even multiple shorts) of them meeting each other families and later in life and maybe kids. I also want a lot of books on the rest of the group.
God I love this book!
Izzy is my favorite character and I root for him to understand the social ques more than any other part of the book. I wish we got to see him interact with his best friend more, but I also wish we get a story of him and his tattoo crush.
It was really hard to put this book down, every time I would prepare for a 'resting period', Izzy would think about something and I wanted to see him work it out. Then there was Rocco who would be so amazing I wanted him for myself. And finally, Rocco. Rocco was everything I did not expect and everything I did, but better.
This story is about learning about feelings and how to deal with them and how they don't always make sense or make sense right away. It's about taking time and listening to yourself, those you love/trust. and reason; and it's about throwing all that away when you figure out what makes you and those you care about happy.
I REALLY want to see a sequel (or short story. Or even multiple shorts) of them meeting each other families and later in life and maybe kids. I also want a lot of books on the rest of the group.
God I love this book!
March 24, 2019
This was so sweet - the naivety of Izzy made me equally frustrated and happy ! I loved the fact that he had determined what he wanted, was open in a direct way and was still oblivious to those around him. Bless his friends who gave him time and clearly loved him for who he was. They were extremely protective and gentle. Really enjoyed this book ❤️
April 29, 2019
Okay, let's get into it.
Good things about this book:
I like the premise of an ace character in a throuple. It's a convenient solution to a complicated problem. I also enjoy fem characters who aren't presented as terrible female stereotypes and then cast as the "sassy gay friend". Like hey, they're a whole person who has their own life and their own interests and aren't just played for laughs. Fantastic. Lastly, this book was technically well-written, which brings me to...
Bad things about this book:
I could not comprehend half of the conversations in this book.
Literally, I was of the belief sometimes that I was having a stroke. But I think I figured it out. Here's the problem.
I could not find ONE piece of dialogue that was not preceded or followed by 2-4 sentences of unecessary description or narrative -- someone wringing their hands, someone getting up to get coffee, someone processing a thought. What this did was severely limit the flow of the dialogue, and by the time I got done reading a paragraph of narrative and Iz or someone else responded, I had no idea what they were responding to. I'd completely forgotten. This, I think, is a fault that lies mostly with whoever edited this. 80% of this sort of filler could have been cut. It wasn't necessary to the plot or the characters and it really dragged down dialogue that was already difficult to process because it seemed slightly off already (as in, I was wondering if people actually speak to one another this way). I found myself having to reread each paragraph because the conversation didn't track well. To anyone looking to make your novels more readable... heed this advice. Don't put descriptions where there aren't any needed. If you write your dialogue correctly (and occasionally sprinkle it with actions and dialogue tags), then you dont' need to explicitly state who is saying each sentence of dialogue.
Continuing on...
I thought it was a bit rude for someone to compliment Iz with "you're beautiful by classical standards" and then for someone else to follow with "racist standards". No one said anything about racism. Classic beauty standards ARE racist, but it's like saying he wouldn't be attractive if beauty standards weren't racist, which seems like a low-key diss to your friend. This represents a lot of the weird trajectory of conversations in this novel. Some of the responses to another character's dialogue are totally out of the blue. Me, as the reader, was like "uh, okay then" before having to move on.
Lastly...
never have I ever been so frustrated by such inept cyclical discussions over who likes who. The whole time I was like
because these characters would admit to liking the other and then by the next chapter they suddenly were like "oh well he OBVIOUSLY doesn't like me" and I was like "WHAT-- BUT YOU JUST-- HOW'D HE-- UUUGH". Usually misunderstandings in novels drive me nuts because if the characters talked to each other like normal adults the conflict would be over in two paragraphs. In this book, the characters DID talk to each other and yet they still couldn't seem to understand one another. And maybe if they were 15 I'd be like "oh okay they're dumb teens" but they're in college, and the allosexual men at least have no excuse to be so clueless about crushes/romance, especially men who seem pretty self-aware in other ways (as in, they aren't idiot jocks obliterating braincells by doing keggers every night and smoking weed in between classes).
Anyway, I swear the same conversation was had several times but it kept trying to convince me that this conversation HADN'T been had. This book gaslighted me, basically, lol.
In conclusion, what this book needed was a skilled editor, someone who could work with the author to simplify and clarify a lot of these conversations. Cooper HAS the skill for writing. It's just the implementation that needs work. That's why I gave two stars instead of one, because unlike a lot of novels I dislike, I sense a lot of potential and, thankfully, the desire to lend more diversity to the genre (which mxm DESPERATELY needs!)
Good things about this book:
I like the premise of an ace character in a throuple. It's a convenient solution to a complicated problem. I also enjoy fem characters who aren't presented as terrible female stereotypes and then cast as the "sassy gay friend". Like hey, they're a whole person who has their own life and their own interests and aren't just played for laughs. Fantastic. Lastly, this book was technically well-written, which brings me to...
Bad things about this book:
I could not comprehend half of the conversations in this book.
Literally, I was of the belief sometimes that I was having a stroke. But I think I figured it out. Here's the problem.
I could not find ONE piece of dialogue that was not preceded or followed by 2-4 sentences of unecessary description or narrative -- someone wringing their hands, someone getting up to get coffee, someone processing a thought. What this did was severely limit the flow of the dialogue, and by the time I got done reading a paragraph of narrative and Iz or someone else responded, I had no idea what they were responding to. I'd completely forgotten. This, I think, is a fault that lies mostly with whoever edited this. 80% of this sort of filler could have been cut. It wasn't necessary to the plot or the characters and it really dragged down dialogue that was already difficult to process because it seemed slightly off already (as in, I was wondering if people actually speak to one another this way). I found myself having to reread each paragraph because the conversation didn't track well. To anyone looking to make your novels more readable... heed this advice. Don't put descriptions where there aren't any needed. If you write your dialogue correctly (and occasionally sprinkle it with actions and dialogue tags), then you dont' need to explicitly state who is saying each sentence of dialogue.
Continuing on...
I thought it was a bit rude for someone to compliment Iz with "you're beautiful by classical standards" and then for someone else to follow with "racist standards". No one said anything about racism. Classic beauty standards ARE racist, but it's like saying he wouldn't be attractive if beauty standards weren't racist, which seems like a low-key diss to your friend. This represents a lot of the weird trajectory of conversations in this novel. Some of the responses to another character's dialogue are totally out of the blue. Me, as the reader, was like "uh, okay then" before having to move on.
Lastly...
never have I ever been so frustrated by such inept cyclical discussions over who likes who. The whole time I was like
because these characters would admit to liking the other and then by the next chapter they suddenly were like "oh well he OBVIOUSLY doesn't like me" and I was like "WHAT-- BUT YOU JUST-- HOW'D HE-- UUUGH". Usually misunderstandings in novels drive me nuts because if the characters talked to each other like normal adults the conflict would be over in two paragraphs. In this book, the characters DID talk to each other and yet they still couldn't seem to understand one another. And maybe if they were 15 I'd be like "oh okay they're dumb teens" but they're in college, and the allosexual men at least have no excuse to be so clueless about crushes/romance, especially men who seem pretty self-aware in other ways (as in, they aren't idiot jocks obliterating braincells by doing keggers every night and smoking weed in between classes).
Anyway, I swear the same conversation was had several times but it kept trying to convince me that this conversation HADN'T been had. This book gaslighted me, basically, lol.
In conclusion, what this book needed was a skilled editor, someone who could work with the author to simplify and clarify a lot of these conversations. Cooper HAS the skill for writing. It's just the implementation that needs work. That's why I gave two stars instead of one, because unlike a lot of novels I dislike, I sense a lot of potential and, thankfully, the desire to lend more diversity to the genre (which mxm DESPERATELY needs!)
April 14, 2019
2 1\2 stars
Frustrating. Read it if you want to know how obtuse can someone that’s is supposed to be a genius can be.
No sex book
Frustrating. Read it if you want to know how obtuse can someone that’s is supposed to be a genius can be.
No sex book
May 25, 2019
A nifty, talky solution.
Read
March 16, 2020This was so good. It's an adult book (there's no graphic sex, but sex is discussed), but I'd also recommend it for older teens because it makes really good points about thinking about your feelings instead of just reacting to them, and about finding what works for you and what you personally want from a relationship, rather than worrying about matching your relationship to what is portrayed on television or books or even by people around you.
I wish there had been one more happy chapter at the end, before the epilogue, but otherwise no complaints.
I wish there had been one more happy chapter at the end, before the epilogue, but otherwise no complaints.
April 23, 2022
I’m always wary of books with ace characters, and tend not to really enjoy poly romances, having a hard enough time wrapping my head around being in relationship with one person, let alone multiple persons. So, while I kept this on my TBR list, I always kind of pushed it down the list.
But having read plenty of R. Cooper and knowing she is a sensitive writer and does ace rep justice, I needn’t have worried.
This was lovely. Izzy was lovely. The ace rep was lovely. And the romance(s) and the journey through them was lovely.
But having read plenty of R. Cooper and knowing she is a sensitive writer and does ace rep justice, I needn’t have worried.
This was lovely. Izzy was lovely. The ace rep was lovely. And the romance(s) and the journey through them was lovely.
March 23, 2019
College tale of of the individual path to love
A short book; Jamie Islington "Izzy" is super smart and surrounded by a good found family of college friends...he is the 'fixer', super aware of his friends and what they need, and is generally content and satisfied with friendships. Self identifying as in the grey spectrum, demisexual to ace, he begins to notice feelings for a friend, and works to analyze the meaning of his own physical feelings and tension and needs (such harder than fixing his friends). Getting his heart and head to line up, interpreting the meaning of feelings past and present, and growing relationships and experiencing love in new ways...
I found Izzy to be delightful, and following his unique path of personal growth to be a very pleasant and happy romantic read. I think the tale is very individual with respect to the fact that once you get to know any individual, you can move beyond the labels. I liked all the MCs, the kindness between the characters, the sharing of Izzy's generous impulses and caring and his ultimate hfn ending. Humorously written in R. Cooper's excellent intelligent writing, smooth and witty dialogue and with a great sense of Izzy's tension, caring and joy. Story includes tinges of the challenge of college experiences, frustration with alternative learning styles challenged by "normal" teaching; some gender fluidity "femme" features; anxiety and ADD symptoms with medication; and polyamory. Adult m/m/m non explicit scenes..kisses and loving interactions. A few extra/missing words.
If you like the sound of this romantic tale
I can highly recommend all of R. Cooper''s work
For R. Cooper short stories: A Wealth of Unsaid Words; Hottie Scottie and Mr. Porter (more intimate sex scenes in this one); Other Side of the Roses; and Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut.
For contemporary full length romance by R. Cooper
Dancing Lessons
Play it Again Charlie
Other full length contemporary romance:
Rule Breaker by Lily Morton
Clean Water by Amy Lane
A short book; Jamie Islington "Izzy" is super smart and surrounded by a good found family of college friends...he is the 'fixer', super aware of his friends and what they need, and is generally content and satisfied with friendships. Self identifying as in the grey spectrum, demisexual to ace, he begins to notice feelings for a friend, and works to analyze the meaning of his own physical feelings and tension and needs (such harder than fixing his friends). Getting his heart and head to line up, interpreting the meaning of feelings past and present, and growing relationships and experiencing love in new ways...
I found Izzy to be delightful, and following his unique path of personal growth to be a very pleasant and happy romantic read. I think the tale is very individual with respect to the fact that once you get to know any individual, you can move beyond the labels. I liked all the MCs, the kindness between the characters, the sharing of Izzy's generous impulses and caring and his ultimate hfn ending. Humorously written in R. Cooper's excellent intelligent writing, smooth and witty dialogue and with a great sense of Izzy's tension, caring and joy. Story includes tinges of the challenge of college experiences, frustration with alternative learning styles challenged by "normal" teaching; some gender fluidity "femme" features; anxiety and ADD symptoms with medication; and polyamory. Adult m/m/m non explicit scenes..kisses and loving interactions. A few extra/missing words.
If you like the sound of this romantic tale
I can highly recommend all of R. Cooper''s work
For R. Cooper short stories: A Wealth of Unsaid Words; Hottie Scottie and Mr. Porter (more intimate sex scenes in this one); Other Side of the Roses; and Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut.
For contemporary full length romance by R. Cooper
Dancing Lessons
Play it Again Charlie
Other full length contemporary romance:
Rule Breaker by Lily Morton
Clean Water by Amy Lane
June 3, 2019
Lovely and intellectual and sweet and confused. And chapter 12, dear Lord, chapter 12 -- all the sweet, schmoopy, heart-filling words from R. Cooper in chapter 12!
Brief break for RL -- I have a dear friend who talks like R. Cooper writes (yes, Louise D., I'm looking at YOU!), who tells stories about people in her life as if you, recent addition to her circle of friends, were right there when these things happened, of course you know all about Mrs. H. and her garden, how could you not know her, she's simply a fact of life, and the stories come spilling out, like a contented Virginia Woolf, sharing laughter and exasperation at our shared foibles. This, this is what I love about R. Cooper's books. The book begins in Eric's apartment. I have no idea who else actually lives there, but it doesn't really matter, because this group of friends, this coterie is the important thing, the only thing. Sigh. I miss my friends, from SoCal to Chicago to Michigan.
One star off for some odd editing, missing words or two words where I'm sure one was supposed to have been changed from an earlier draft. And one time that Ronnie became Rocco for a second -- threw me violently out of the story for a minute. Shame on you, I know you're better than that, please fix it? (Thank you!)
Brief break for RL -- I have a dear friend who talks like R. Cooper writes (yes, Louise D., I'm looking at YOU!), who tells stories about people in her life as if you, recent addition to her circle of friends, were right there when these things happened, of course you know all about Mrs. H. and her garden, how could you not know her, she's simply a fact of life, and the stories come spilling out, like a contented Virginia Woolf, sharing laughter and exasperation at our shared foibles. This, this is what I love about R. Cooper's books. The book begins in Eric's apartment. I have no idea who else actually lives there, but it doesn't really matter, because this group of friends, this coterie is the important thing, the only thing. Sigh. I miss my friends, from SoCal to Chicago to Michigan.
One star off for some odd editing, missing words or two words where I'm sure one was supposed to have been changed from an earlier draft. And one time that Ronnie became Rocco for a second -- threw me violently out of the story for a minute. Shame on you, I know you're better than that, please fix it? (Thank you!)
March 25, 2019
This book made me happy on so many levels and I've recommended it to pretty much everyone I've spoken to since I started reading it. Izzy is delightfully honest and obliviously blind to the romance emerging around him and quite frankly, I absolutely ADORED him. Ronnie & Rocco were such wonderful characters both individually and together and their approach to Izzy and his idiosyncrasies was simply lovely. I could not #recommend this more. 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐�
Shelved as 'maybe-later'
July 14, 2024DNF 60%
girl, so confusing
might pick up later
girl, so confusing
might pick up later
December 24, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up for great ace rep.
Someone else mentioned in a review that this author often writes from the POV of the more introverted and clueless character in a relationship. For the most part that doesn't bother me, but I could see others being a bit frustrated. Izzy is ace and I would venture to say he's also on the autism spectrum. He doesn't experience emotions the way other people do, and has to experience things his own way to truly learn them.
As a result, this is a slow, sweet book about someone discovering they can have feelings of love and romance, and then discovering they can have them for more than one person at once. It feels a little like a modern fairytale at times, and occasionally I wanted Rocco and Ronnie to sit him down and spell out what was going on, but they got there in the end.
There were a couple of spots where the names were switched; I'm sure it was just something missed in the final edit, easy to miss with two similar names for main characters.
Someone else mentioned in a review that this author often writes from the POV of the more introverted and clueless character in a relationship. For the most part that doesn't bother me, but I could see others being a bit frustrated. Izzy is ace and I would venture to say he's also on the autism spectrum. He doesn't experience emotions the way other people do, and has to experience things his own way to truly learn them.
As a result, this is a slow, sweet book about someone discovering they can have feelings of love and romance, and then discovering they can have them for more than one person at once. It feels a little like a modern fairytale at times, and occasionally I wanted Rocco and Ronnie to sit him down and spell out what was going on, but they got there in the end.
There were a couple of spots where the names were switched; I'm sure it was just something missed in the final edit, easy to miss with two similar names for main characters.
May 21, 2019
I feel like R. Cooper has a writing style that isn't for everyone. I like it, most of the time, but it does take some work to figure out some of the time.
Additionally, people who get impatient with miscommunication storylines will probably find this book frustrating, because it is all about things not getting said and things that are said not being believed. It works for me because communication is hard and believing other people could like you, with all your flaws and shortcomings, is hard and takes time.
I guess what I really mean is that I like this book because I resonate with so many pieces of it: the characters' insecurities and trouble believing themselves lovable, the struggle to communicate, the struggle to understand things that it seems other people get innately, being asexual and feeling like it makes you a less ideal candidate for a romantic relationship.
Additionally, people who get impatient with miscommunication storylines will probably find this book frustrating, because it is all about things not getting said and things that are said not being believed. It works for me because communication is hard and believing other people could like you, with all your flaws and shortcomings, is hard and takes time.
I guess what I really mean is that I like this book because I resonate with so many pieces of it: the characters' insecurities and trouble believing themselves lovable, the struggle to communicate, the struggle to understand things that it seems other people get innately, being asexual and feeling like it makes you a less ideal candidate for a romantic relationship.
April 7, 2019
41% in and I am so f’ing done. Izzy is a manic pixie dream girl and a Mary Sue wrapped together in the guise of social awkwardness and a non traditional sexuality. If the socialization and sexuality had been used to drive plot I would have really enjoyed that. But here it’s played for cuteness. I found it extremely irritating. And so far 90% of the dialog consists of people saying Izzy’s name over and over while really saying nothing at all. I just couldn’t take anymore.
October 2, 2021
Izzy is a character you aren’t likely to forget and you can’t help but root for him to get everything. Just a couple of things missing that would have made it a 5 stars read for me, some sexy times on page and a bit more talking about what the relationship they were building looked like.
Otherwise is this book is a sweet treat
Otherwise is this book is a sweet treat
April 3, 2019
This was adorable. And as someone on the gray scale, it was so nice to read about an ace character.
Got just a liiiiiiitle frustrated that Ronnie and Rocco didn't lay all their cards out sooner, but I get it.
Got just a liiiiiiitle frustrated that Ronnie and Rocco didn't lay all their cards out sooner, but I get it.
September 21, 2022
Lovely cover! <3<3<3
When I saw that a new R. Cooper book was out I was hyped. At first I wasn't sure, if it was my cup of tea, but when I saw that the main character was ace I was 100% certain I'd enjoy the book. And I was right.
As always the writing style was artistic and slow-paced. The way the three MCs interacted with each other was just perfect. Rocco and Ronnie were as mature as I'd expect from people their age and while they struggled with their own issues (love, university, work, future...), they gave Izzy time and tried to make everything as easy as possible for him to process and understand. At times I thought they should have been more direct with him, but maybe they'd have scared him off by doing so.
In the end everything worked out for them and we got a nice HFN ending. I would have loved to get a bit more, but I'm happy with the ending as it is.
A few times it was apparent that the author changed something in the text, because words were left behind or missing. Therefore only four stars from me.
When I saw that a new R. Cooper book was out I was hyped. At first I wasn't sure, if it was my cup of tea, but when I saw that the main character was ace I was 100% certain I'd enjoy the book. And I was right.
As always the writing style was artistic and slow-paced. The way the three MCs interacted with each other was just perfect. Rocco and Ronnie were as mature as I'd expect from people their age and while they struggled with their own issues (love, university, work, future...), they gave Izzy time and tried to make everything as easy as possible for him to process and understand. At times I thought they should have been more direct with him, but maybe they'd have scared him off by doing so.
In the end everything worked out for them and we got a nice HFN ending. I would have loved to get a bit more, but I'm happy with the ending as it is.
A few times it was apparent that the author changed something in the text, because words were left behind or missing. Therefore only four stars from me.
March 23, 2019
Really enjoyable and unique
The blurb to this caught my attention - an ace, femme, neuroatypical guy with anxiety having a crush on someone - and the book delivered even more than I hoped for. We are in Izzy’s POV the whole time, which is done really well. Izzy is brilliant, but he often doesn’t GET nuances and social cues, so we the readers are often left knowing what’s really going on and waiting for Izzy to figure it out.
It’s charming and unique and has FEELS (yes, I cried as well as laughed). I was a tiny bit dissatisfied with where/how it ended; it was such a struggle to GET there that I would have liked to see more of how things worked when they were settled. I’d also call it a bit more of an HFN than an HEA, which I suppose fits for college students, though I feel there’s definite hope for them to last. Still, that doesn’t stop me from loving it and recommending it highly.
The blurb to this caught my attention - an ace, femme, neuroatypical guy with anxiety having a crush on someone - and the book delivered even more than I hoped for. We are in Izzy’s POV the whole time, which is done really well. Izzy is brilliant, but he often doesn’t GET nuances and social cues, so we the readers are often left knowing what’s really going on and waiting for Izzy to figure it out.
It’s charming and unique and has FEELS (yes, I cried as well as laughed). I was a tiny bit dissatisfied with where/how it ended; it was such a struggle to GET there that I would have liked to see more of how things worked when they were settled. I’d also call it a bit more of an HFN than an HEA, which I suppose fits for college students, though I feel there’s definite hope for them to last. Still, that doesn’t stop me from loving it and recommending it highly.
April 20, 2022
A self-labeled asexual male-identified college student with some social anxiety worries about correctly reading and understanding behavioral and verbal cues in time enough to respond appropriately.
He has a crisis when he realizes that he's attracted to one of his group.
The best solution is obvious to the reader from the frat party scene towards the beginning of the book, but we have to go at his pace for him to come to the same conclusion.
I was a bit frustrated by that.
Usually I skim sex scenes in romances and wish that there were fewer of them, but here the almost-sex scene is so erotic I wished that it had gone further and that there had been more of them.
The dialogue in the book is very clever, insightful, and entertaining.
Typos: lot minor words skipped, misuse of end-quote punctuation'." Also, the noun "leftover" is used as a verb (either that or it should be plural or be preceded by an "a") and "off" is missing its last f (a smile that set of sparks).
He has a crisis when he realizes that he's attracted to one of his group.
The best solution is obvious to the reader from the frat party scene towards the beginning of the book, but we have to go at his pace for him to come to the same conclusion.
I was a bit frustrated by that.
Usually I skim sex scenes in romances and wish that there were fewer of them, but here the almost-sex scene is so erotic I wished that it had gone further and that there had been more of them.
The dialogue in the book is very clever, insightful, and entertaining.
Typos: lot minor words skipped, misuse of end-quote punctuation'." Also, the noun "leftover" is used as a verb (either that or it should be plural or be preceded by an "a") and "off" is missing its last f (a smile that set of sparks).
February 6, 2021
Tears. Pining. R. Cooper just captures yearning and heartbreak and live so masterfully. This is not usually my cup of tea - I don’t usually like to quietly leak tears through most of a book lol - but this was exquisite. And nothing terrible happens, and no one is mean or awful, it’s just the heartbreak and yearning and self-questioning we all go through. In fact, we even know that the heartbreak probably isn’t that necessary because we see things the character doesn’t (hello he totally DOES like you!!!), but that just makes it more realistic. Izzy is such an amazing character, and this book was so magical because it was through his point of view.
Five stars, even if they’re a little saturated in tears.
Five stars, even if they’re a little saturated in tears.
March 9, 2020
4.5 stars (really want this option, GR) - while this could have used one more line edit to insert missing words and change incorrect ones, if you love Iz, you won't care. I adored all the characters, and only come away with one quibble about the plot, but you shouldn't care. It's only important to love these guys and hope for the best. They are all so very kind, each in his own way, and it's just lovely. It's also lovely to read a story about queer characters in which no one has suffered to get where they are. And for those of you averse to sex scenes, this one is all kissing and afterword-reference.
I am so glad this one exists.
I am so glad this one exists.
April 25, 2020
I love how R. Cooper presents her POV characters. You come to understand each individual's headspace by experiencing it directly.
Izzy is a genius who's gorgeous (people crushing on him all over the place) but doesn't understand his feeling life. His community is loving and supportive, and everyone lets him sort it out at his own pace. We hear how he sees the world, the people he cares about, and himself, and we as the reader, also see the contrast between his conclusions and what we can observe of the people around him. It's really a fun journey as Izzy builds more emotional intelligence.
Happy ending, like all Cooper's books!
Izzy is a genius who's gorgeous (people crushing on him all over the place) but doesn't understand his feeling life. His community is loving and supportive, and everyone lets him sort it out at his own pace. We hear how he sees the world, the people he cares about, and himself, and we as the reader, also see the contrast between his conclusions and what we can observe of the people around him. It's really a fun journey as Izzy builds more emotional intelligence.
Happy ending, like all Cooper's books!
August 18, 2020
Cooper did an incredible job of helping the reader understand each of the main characters� insecurities, quirks and concerns. What makes it particularly impressive is Cooper did it without a sledgehammer. It was all in the way the characters interacted with one another and the subtle hints about their experiences woven through the dialogue. There are way too many editing errors. I really hope Cooper develops a team that will help eliminate missing words and misplaced words because this author’s writing is getting better and better but, no matter how good the story or lovely the words, editing problems will always be a distraction.
April 9, 2019
I'm an R Cooper fan so I must say that her authoring skills never disappoint. And I thought at first this would be an irritating read meant for high schoolers. Yes, I found Ronnie and Rocco irritating and Izzy an uncomfortable trigger of high school days (hated them).
Her characterizations haunt. But this storyline yanked my chain. R's ability to tease sometimes uncomfortable thoughts is masterful. This will not be on the list of my favs, but it has well-crafted words that are impactful.
Her characterizations haunt. But this storyline yanked my chain. R's ability to tease sometimes uncomfortable thoughts is masterful. This will not be on the list of my favs, but it has well-crafted words that are impactful.
May 7, 2019
R. Cooper’s best work
I loved this so much. A long, slow burn. The story was gentle and sweet without being at all fluffy. I was fascinated by the way Izzy’s mind worked. The poor communication was a little excessive. The gang of friends were also just a little too discrete with their opinions on the budding romance. It doesn’t matter how tactful the individuals are, in a large group, someone will always insist on sharing their opinion.
Still, this was a very pleasant way to spend my reading time and I would love to see more of these wonderful guys.
I loved this so much. A long, slow burn. The story was gentle and sweet without being at all fluffy. I was fascinated by the way Izzy’s mind worked. The poor communication was a little excessive. The gang of friends were also just a little too discrete with their opinions on the budding romance. It doesn’t matter how tactful the individuals are, in a large group, someone will always insist on sharing their opinion.
Still, this was a very pleasant way to spend my reading time and I would love to see more of these wonderful guys.
June 19, 2019
A college romance with a difference
Izzy and Rocco and Ronnie and all their other friends in college are a lovely lot.
Izzy doesn't see the world as most people seem to. Things are confusing and he struggles with emotion. Knowing he is asexual leaves Izzy not expecting to have a romantic relationship, but realising he is in love with his friends is a problem Izzy hadn't anticipated. The solution is perfect and getting there is gentle and beautiful.
Izzy and Rocco and Ronnie and all their other friends in college are a lovely lot.
Izzy doesn't see the world as most people seem to. Things are confusing and he struggles with emotion. Knowing he is asexual leaves Izzy not expecting to have a romantic relationship, but realising he is in love with his friends is a problem Izzy hadn't anticipated. The solution is perfect and getting there is gentle and beautiful.
October 12, 2020
Izzy is a really special character and he is described as neuroatypical, asexual, beautiful, femme and emotionally distant with anxiety disorder. We start the story with Izzy identifying his attraction towards his friend, Rocco and later recognizes that he was also attracted to another friend, Ronnie. We have a poly situation here, but Izzy has a long way to go towards realizing and accepting it.
It's a unique romance between special people. Loved Izzy and his circle of friends.
It's a unique romance between special people. Loved Izzy and his circle of friends.
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