3.5 ADORABLE STARS!

What a great, adorable, book! The slow burn was intense, the cover is perfection, and the dialogue flowed beautifully. A sweet book all around and would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy read.

As always another great book Molly would highly recommend it. Looking forward to your next book. We'll done

*This review contains major spoilers of the book, so be aware of that when reading this review*
I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.
No better way to put it then from the words of the author herself, “What a clusterfuck.” – Chapter 33
The story is set around 2 best friends since high school, now adults in their mid-20s, Sinter ( Leading Character) and Andy, which chronicles them both coming out to each other at 2 separate times. Andy being the 1st who comes out to him when he’s 15 years old, tells that he likes him, followed by Sinter saying he’s not Gay in fact, but would do his best friend a favor and kiss him, which leads to the both of them getting caught by Sinters parents who are Super conservative, religious and against anything un natural.
We move to present time, Sinter is living in London, working at a pub, and a struggling actor trying to land the next big role. Finally he’s approached by Fiona who happens to come into the pub that he works at, and offers him a gig, which of course you guess it, he got the part, which is set in the 80s which he would be playing the leading roll.
He and Andy still talk every day, through text messages and facetime or selfie
The format of the story well written, very modernized, how the actual 21 generation talk to each other, it’s all text and emoji. I get it. I liked it, and throughout the whole novel, it’s about 80% text messages and narratives from Sinter the leading character. Forward through a few chapters, and we come across him hooking with Fiona, who casted him as lead for the movie. SPOILER: She gets pregnant by him and reveals later on in the story and it’s a big mess.
Throughout the story, you have Sinter questioning his sexuality, not sure if he’s gay or just confused, later on throughout the story we find out that he’s pretty much obsessed with his best friend and finally comes out to him as bi. He winds up moving in with him to Seattle, and they end up screwing around the whole time. Friends with Benefits, you would say. No Drama, No attachment.
Forward through all of that and we get to Sinter still in denial about who he is, sexually. He’s scared of what people will think about him, he doesn’t have the support from his parents who are against it not like Andy’s parents who are accepting of it all.
By mid-way of the novel, it’s come to conclusion that Sinter suffers not only from Anxiety, but from PTSD too, lots of references or clues.
Close to the end of the story, Andy gives Sinter the ultimatum, either come out or loose me, basically it’s what he said, he wasn’t going to be hurt again., and well a huge catastrophic event happens that forces Sinter to come out, to the point where the 1st person he calls is his Mom and tells her everything, even coming out.
We are at the end of the story which I wish would have been way better then what it was. It was too predictable, but no less it was a good read. Lots of crazy twists.
Pre-Order your copy now, out Sept 3, 2019

This is a friends-to-lovers, coming-out (bi) story, focusing sexuality and identity. But also about family, the theatre, and the 80s.

Ringles writing was thoughtful and touching. The protagonist, Sinter, was so endearing even when making mistakes. Definitely one of the favourite book characters I've read in a long time. He is thrown more than one curve ball over the course of this book, and how he coped with it all put a smile on my face many times.

I liked the exploration of Sinter’s sexuality and his friendship/slow burn romance with Andy. But the story moved way too slow for my liking.

I was really excited about this book as it is set in two cities I love: London and Seattle.
Finding who you are, even as a young adult, is hard. Sinter (given name "Joel", but only his parents use it) is an American young actor currently filming in a British movie when the book begins. The characters were really touching.
Even the ones that are "secondary", like snarky Sebastian. Now and then, I got kind of angry but it's actually a good thing as I love reading so I will feel something.
This was a good read that I'd recommend.

*This review contains major spoilers of the book, so be aware of that when reading this review*

I was expecting a wholesome new adult romcom with a twenty-something questioning his sexuality. If you're hoping for that too, I'm so sorry to say that this is not that book.

Sometimes I think the books with more subtle problems and clear potential for good representation ultimately hurt us more than the books with horrible problems. And this is one of the former, for the most part. I actually ended up crying because it hurt to think how good this book could have been. It hurt to see parts of amazing representation in a book that felt so damaging.

First, I will explain why it was so painful for me to not like this book's representation. I'm going to explain exactly what happens in the book, so stop reading here if you don't want to see spoilers.

I really loved the main character, Sinter. He's 25 years old at the start of the novel, and he's only now questioning his sexuality. This is exactly my own experience, and since being bi is a part of my identity as well, I could really relate to him. We don't get a lot of LGBTQ+ new adult novels in the first place, so this book could have meant so much.

What especially felt like a punch to realize, is that I haven't seen part of the book's storyline anywhere else, in any book, ever. Because Sinter not only falls in love with his childhood best friend, Andy, there's also another storyline that intersects with that. Before he starts dating Andy, he has sex with this woman, and she ends up getting pregnant. She doesn't want the baby, but she discusses the possibility for adoption with Sinter. Instead, he decides that he does want to keep the baby, so he makes the decision to become a single parent (he's not really dating Andy at that point). First of all, I loved seeing a woman who is just completely uninterested in being a mother, and seeing her engage with that feeling and how the world responds to it. As well as a man deciding to be a single parent, when it's usually the woman who ends up keeping the baby. Secondly, Andy and Sinter do get together when the baby is born, and they end up raising her together. I have never seen a young same-gender couple go through the process of having a child before, and this made me really emotional, because why did I have to first see it here, in a book that was not actually a safe space for me to read?

While I did see so much potential, the author really missed the mark in several ways. Most of those were quite subtle, so I struggled to put my finger on it while reading for a long time. I do have some larger issues as well, and I will discuss those below, but my overall issue is that she just didn't grasp exactly what it's like to be queer, and this hurt to read, especially because I could see she'd made an effort (sometimes good intentions having a bad result hurt more than bad intentions). There were so many small ways the main character and love interest related to queerness that felt awkward and forced, and those little incongruences hurt so much to read. Especially when they kept adding up.

Let's also get into my four main issues:

1. This book uses a near-fatal car crash as a dramatic plot device to move the story along. This was clearly meant to make Sinter realize he loved Andy, and bring them together. But it was completely unnecessary. Sinter doesn't realize sooner, because he has other things on his mind, like having a baby. So when he finally gets to pick up his baby, he already realizes that if he pictures his future, Andy is a part of that. And Andy has already said that he wants to be with Sinter, so the accident is in no way necessary to bring them together. It's just one more instance of a gay character suffering for no reason other than to add drama, like some sort of torture porn for "allies".

2. The book portrays the need to come out in a very damaging way. On multiple occasions, Andy tries to pressure Sinter into coming out. It's talked about several times as if not being out means that you're lying to people, which is absolutely, 100% not true and a horrid thing for people to buy into. You are not lying to people if you aren't ready to come out to them (yet). It's even said at some point: "Being in the closet is no way to live". While this might be true for some people, this is clearly said from a place of real privilege, because not everyone will be able to come out, maybe ever. And that doesn't make them liars, it doesn't make them any less valid.

3. Sinter has to prove his bisexuality to himself and to others to perceive it as "real". He doesn't acknowledge that it's his actual identity (and neither does Andy) until he has sex with Andy, as if that's what affirms his identity. There's a lot of talk about his identity being centered around action, like if he's really bisexual, he has to "act on it" by sleeping with a man, since he's only been with women before. An example: "...I didn't want to go claiming an identity that I might never want to back up with action." Nope, not how that works. This is once again a damaging concept, because sexual and gender identity are not determined by action. Bisexual people do not have to prove their sexual identity by sleeping with people of multiple genders to be perceived as valid.

4. The author clearly did not understand why people sometimes don't question their sexuality until a later age. I mean, it's not her own experience so why would she? But this felt pretty painful to read, because the book gave quite a narrow view on why people wouldn't "just come out sooner", as a matter of speaking. Basically, she seems to think the only reason it took Sinter so long to realize he's bi is that he has actually sort of known all along but he was in denial. This might sometimes be people's experience, and of course that's valid. But it implies that if you don't figure out your sexuality as a teen, you must have already known then anyway but have just been in denial ever since. This is not my personal experience at all, and I know there can be very many reasons why it takes people longer to start questioning their sexuality, so I really didn't appreciate this view.

Rep: bisexual MC, gay Latinx love interest, trans side character

CWs: religious and internalized homophobia, anxiety and mention of a panic attack, unplanned pregnancy, car accident and hospital stay

You know those periods in life when you just want to read something simple and drama free? That’s the state of mind I was in when I picked this up; and that’s the biggest reason why I liked it (although there was a lot of unnecessary cliché drama in the end).

“All the Better Part of Me” doesn’t have a very original plot. It’s the same storyline that has been done thousands of times: the main character finally realises that he’s in love with his best friend; of course there are a few twists here and there, but nothing that particularly makes this book stand out. Nevertheless, I still felt curious about what would happen next. The acting world background certainly helped spike my interest.

My main problem here is how unrealistic certain character’s behaviours are. While trying to find a way to express what bothered me about this, I came across a review where it was stated that this read like fanfiction. Now don’t get me wrong, I love fanfiction and this would definitely be included in an exclusive well-written group of fanfiction… But the narrative and the characters are still too simple. I needed something more to make me love this.

However, it kept me interested and entertained for a couple of days. It’s the perfect uncomplicated Summer read, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Final rating: 3.5 stars

All the Better Part of me started out as a sweet book about Sinter a struggling American actor wanting to find a stable job in UK, as the book progresses we found out he's coming to terms with his bisexuality, his feelings for his best friend, Andy while having a family that he knows wouldnt approve. The second part of the book lost me a bit, instead of just having Sinter deal with coming clean to Andy and how he would deal with being out in the open, it became more of a plot twist worthy of a soap opera. I hoped for something less dramatic at times. I mean I did like how Fiona was handled but I'm not too happy with the part that was written for her overall. It was an enjoyable read but too much for me to really want to reread it.

I really really wanted to love this book, but it just didn't happen. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it's not something that I see myself wanting to reread. There were things that I was happy with, but even more that I didn't really like.

I liked the characters, but couldn't love them because I was so FREQUENTLY annoyed with them and their actions. I was worried at first how I would feel about Sinter having feelings for two different people in the book. Surprisingly, I thought the love triangle aspect was well handled (which is rare for me because I loathe love triangles). However, I wasn't fond of how Fiona's character was handled in the aftermath. I honestly wish it had just stayed as a flirtation between Sinter and Fiona. Having them flirt and maybe skirt the edge of hooking up would have been a fine way to make Sinter realize he actually wanted Andy. I did not like that he called sex with her the catalyst to figuring out what he really wanted. And I really didn't like how she got so hung up on him. Personally, I didn't see a lot of evidence to support that she had that intense of feelings for him? Unless Sinter was really THAT oblivious about other people's feelings, she seemed like she also understood that what they had was an "on set relationship."

This book felt so much longer than it really was- or needed to be. I was so much more invested in Sinter's story in the beginning and I got more invested the closer I got to the end. I think a lot of the middle parts could be cut. There was a few chapters where nothing really happened that could have been condensed and it would have made the book much more engaging, at least for me. The good news is, Sinter and Andy got their happy ending, which was something I was worrying about right up until the end. One thing I did like was how a lot of the focus of this book is on the uncertainty in life, especially in your 20s. Sinter isn't sure about coming out, about his career, about his relationships with family and friends, about taking the baby, and how everything affects each other. It's something that a lot of people are going to relate to, including me.

Some issues I had with the bi rep:
First, and this might be just a personal quirk so feel free to disregard, I wasn't super fond of the way Sinter kept saying "bisexual lifestyle" and "living the bi life with Andy." If felt like he thought that the only way for him to be bisexual is if he's with a guy. And with the bi community having to constantly tell people 'no it doesn't matter who I'm with, I'm still bi' this thought process didn't sit well with me.
Second, Andy's attitude towards Sinter's coming out wasn't great. I understand he was frustrated and if he didn't want to be in a relationship with someone who hadn't come out, that's his choice and completely okay. However, I wish he hadn't felt the need to trivialize Sinter's issues. Sinter had a lot going on with the baby and considering how his parents acted, it might not have been the best time for Sinter to come out. Andy tells him "Like no one in the world has ever had it as hard as you?" and sure, there are people who have harder lives, but that doesn't mean that Sinter hasn't struggled and it definitely doesn't mean that Sinter HAS to come out. It was another thing that didn't sit well with me.

A couple other things:
"I won't ever do this to you, I thought to my kid as I scowled into my pillow. Even if you end up a neo-Nazi, I'll listen to you. I'll find common ground." UM WHAT. I get the sentiment that the author was trying to convey, but I feel like this was the complete wrong way to do it. Considering what is going on in our society today, the characters of this book, and the audience this book is intended for, is that really the way that should be worded?
My favorite line in the whole book: "Giddy delight swarmed through me, the feeling another actor had once called "the casting dazzles." I just think that description was adorable.

I don't want to say this book sucked because it didn't suck. There were a few things I liked about it. I liked Sinter and Andy as characters. I liked the family dynamic of a woman, a bi disaster who accidentally got her pregnant, and his gay boyfriend helping to raise his baby. I liked how quick and easy this book was to fly through.

Nothing else was really special for me. The book sort of seemed like it started midway through a story. I know the purpose of this story was that it's such an inconvenient time for Sinter to figure out he's bisexual, but still, the timing and pacing of this story just seemed so weird. Also, I know this book is advertised as a story about Sinter discovering his bisexuality, but he seemed to have figured it out way before the book started.

The writing just seemed weird and sort of cheesy at parts. The author doesn't seem to know how to write from a 25-year-old LGBT guy's voice because they sounded like teenage girls to me. It seemed like a bunch of tropes were thrown in just for drama: (view spoiler) Instead, I skipped like 20% and read the end. It seemed like so much was drawn out for no reason. And also, it was boring. I still don't quite understand the point of the story now that I'm writing about it.

BTW is it weird that I pictured Sinter as emo Dan Howell a bit?

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I enjoyed the book quite a bit; I'm a sucker for friends-to-lovers stories, and Sinter and Andy's flirtatious texts were excellent. I just wish the characters of Andy and Fiona were a little bit more rounded out; there was a lot of telling without showing, and I didn't always understand the character's motivations. This is definitely a book where I wish there was a dual perspective. However, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it.

I'm pretty neutral on this book. I liked the characters and I liked the friends to more trope, but it didn't really sink its hooks into my brain.

The writing was solid but the banter was lacklustre and every conversation felt forced. It is a new adult novel but it was very clearly written by someone older. In a way, the problem with this novel is that it doesn't deliver any of its promises.

So there's Sinter, a twenty-five year old something aspiring actor who is into punk rock and lands a job based on that. There is Andy, a...I'm not sure what he does, who is Sinter's best friend and the love interest. Complicating the matter is Fiona, the director who cast Sinter and falls for him. The set up sounds encouraging. The delivery is....messy and to be frank, monotonous.

Things happened, then these things happened, and then other things happened, and nothing really felt momentous? The mention regarding Sinter's interest in punk rock never really went anywhere. The acting stuff and the movie Sinter was involved in didn't seem to play a role in the storyline. Ultimately, the book was about family and coming out, so the trappings of actor, music etc were unnecessary.

As for the coming out arc...I think the narrative puts a lot of pressure and importance on coming out to one's family, as if that's the be all and end all. And yeah, it's important to Sinter but the only opinion on it that he gets is from Andy, who obviously has a horse in the race. Sinter ends up working for a lesbian couple so using them to say "hey some people never come out to their parents and it's okay, or don't come out for years and that's okay too." Because that is as important a message as "be true to yourself."

I suspect there will be people who enjoy this story, which is why I am giving it a three star, but I'm not one of them. There were too many missed opportunities and unfulfilled promises for me personally.

A very powerful page-turner that I couldn't put down. I fell for the characters and could relate to them. I highly recommend this to everyone and this book definitely deserves some hype.

The premise hooked me - along with the beautiful cover showcasing the bisexual pride flag's colors - but the execution fell a bit flat. Sinter's journey was interesting and just as complicated as one might think, but I found Andy pretty one-dimensional. Perhaps had there been an alternating POV approach, we would have found more depth and nuance to Andy's character; despite being out and the main love interest, he almost felt like an antagonist. I also found the conflict between Andy and Sinter a tad bizarre and not well handled. Surprisingly, Fiona's character felt more fully developed and nuanced than Andy.

Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm glad to have read it.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing, and the authoress for providing me with this eARC in an exchange for an honest review.

A few things: I find it hard to believe any of these characters were in their mid-to-late twenties. Sinter and Andy spoke like teenagers, and the dialogue (which is predominantly text messages between them) felt very much YA (LOTS of emoji smiley faces!!!!). Most of all— and this is sounding redundant of me lately— it was a bit too “cute” for me at times. (But the 80’s playlist aesthetic is A+++!!!!)

Speaking again on the writing: yeah, it wasn’t fantastic or groundbreaking, as others have mentioned, but it was a quick read, and was averagely enjoyable if only because Sinter is an oft-unseen character. There aren’t very many good contemporary narratives these days involving bisexual characters, who are also the main protagonist. So, reading about Sinter’s burgeoning awakening is enlightening and important. And the fact that none of it ends in tragedy (with one huge problematic exception I’ll get to further on) is also a positive note, because too often these lgbtq stories are riddled with damaging tropes and sadness. It wasn’t a very surprising story, either, because 10% into the book, I already knew exactly how this would end (again, with a one “small” addition). And I think the author meant it that way. Like, “this person is only a momentary fixation, because that unavailable person is endgame.”

Midway through, the whole thing just sort of hit a lull and dragged. I was bored of Sinter and Andy. The story didn’t feel right, either. Like, I could tell it was written by a female author— and it dawned on me that this was coming off as actually some kind of gay male fetishization on Ms. Ringle’s part.

The people around Sinter are all very emotionally warped and melodramatic. All highs and lows (especially Sebastian, Sinter’s parents, Fiona, and sometimes Andy). Lots of righteous anger and resentment and pride and jealousy... I don’t think many people are that overblown. They made many unfair and unreasonable claims, arguments, and ultimatums. There weren’t any shades of gray at all. And Fiona’s frequent attempts came off pretty, well, (I hate to say it) desperate and pathetic. Then the whole ********** bit was thrown into the mix and... I don’t know. This book isn’t necessarily long (it’s under 300 pages), but I thought many elements of the plot were stretched far beyond what they needed: there was a lot of skirting around and ignoring the issues at hand to draw the drama out longer than necessary.

I alluded to it above, but it’s a spoiler, and I won’t go into specifics here, but something happens around the 80%-ish mark that dropped the rating down for me a smidge. The “event” in question really just felt tacked-on and unnecessary. I guess it was an attempt to make the story feel more dramatic and elicit some strong emotions?? I don’t know. I found it really inappropriate and problematic and disappointing. Still, though, I liked how it ended, ultimately.

I’m in love with Sinter Blackwell. This deeply flawed but ultimately brave human won me over immediately, as did Andy. Sinter is a self-deprecating, often pessimistic, mess facing one serious quarter life crisis. But he is a mess who loves deeply and works through his mistakes in the best way possible. I had hoped for a more fleshed-out Andy, taking into account that this is Sinter’s story and told from his POV. Andy’s identity is a little overshadowed by Sinter’s and I was skeptical about their initial FWB arrangement. The casualness, and Andy’s willingness to be an experiment for his longest and closest friend, didn’t work for me at first. But I feel Andy’s truth becomes clearer eventually. Ultimately this is a love story - one that tells of romantic love, but also learning to love oneself and love that overcomes bigotry, And it is a coming out story. It’s refreshing and heart-warming to see the validation and representation of bisexuality and the particular difficulties that come with it. A convenient happily ever after where all the pieces somehow magically fall into place? You bet! But sometimes life really does work out in a magically perfect way. And sometimes we get the ultimate happiness from things we didn’t know we wanted and may never have imagined for ourselves. I look forward to rereading this one a few times!

My review will be posted on my blog on July 15, 2019

Sinter Blackwell is an American actor living in London when we first meet him. After a chance meeting with an industry colleague, he lands himself a role in a New Wave era movie – and that suits his style just fine. As Sinter explores the world of film making and gets to know his boss, Fiona more intimately… thoughts of his gay-best-friend Andy plague him. As Andy tries to sort through his changing feelings towards Andy, his intimate encounter with Fiona and his complex family dynamics… things get interesting.

My thoughts bit: This is a complex tale about figuring out who you are when life keeps tossing you curveballs. Sinter is a lovely character. He is one of those folks who walk the line in terms of gender and personal awareness. He wears a bit of makeup and is comfortable with it, at fifteen he offered to kiss his gay best friend when he found out he had never been kissed, and his head is a lovely place for a narrative!

Andy and Sinter have been best friends for years. Andy is gay and lives in Seattle, and at the beginning of the novel, Sinter is living in London as he pursues a career in acting. Sinter is a bewildered when he finds himself thinking of Andy … differently. He wants to hear from him, begins to find his thoughts wandering to kisses and touches. His exploration and confusion are sweet and I loved the way it was written.

Sinter’s family are about as far away from supportive as parents could get in terms of his “lifestyle” so he finds himself in a confusing place of not knowing what he wants, or who he wants it with. As Sinter explores his feelings and wants, he begins to feel the pressure to “come out” rather than pulling other people back into the closet with him.

Once Sinter moves back to Seattle, and takes Andy’s spare bedroom, their relationship begins to morph. Sure, the timing of Sinter exploring the fact that he’s probably bisexual could be better…but he’s open to it and Andy is certainly on board. But, keeping things emotion-free seems like a wise choice. Until it isn’t.

"But that kiss tonight had been amazing, an essentially perfect kiss, and a perfect kiss can make you feel like the rest of life is about to fall effortlessly into place." – Sinter in All The Better Part of Me

Ringle has written a lovely, in-depth exploration of a character trying to figure out his sexual orientation while at the same time, attempting to maintain his relationship with a conservative family.

There’s a twist in the plot about two-thirds of the way through that really throws a wrench into Sinter’s life. All the things he has been working towards seem to be unraveling before his eyes.

This book was a joy to read. Oh! and the titles are named after songs from the New Wave era.

I enjoyed this book, though I wasn't blown away by it.

I found the characters to be mostly likeable and charming, with little touches of realism which made them feel like genuine people. Sinter was an engaging protagonist, and I liked the exploration of his conflicting feelings and uncertainty about what to do.

However, the plot was slightly disjointed and the pacing felt a bit off at points. It seemed like there were lots of short time-skips where we didn't get a great sense of what had developed and changed during that time, it felt slightly like the characters were just rearranged and put on pause until the action started again.

I also feel like the main two characters and relationship, Sinter and Andy, weren't quite fleshed out as characters. I got a sense of who they were and the connection between them, but it sometimes felt like a list of their interests was acting as a stand-in for their characterisation, to an extent.

This is a good, quick read with nice points about it, but unspectacular.

I was so hopeful for this book, based on the synopsis. I love anything to do with celebrities and I am excited whenever I come across books where an LGBT character is actually the protagonist rather than just a side character. Unfortunately, I felt the writing in this book was quite bad. It reads like juvenile fan fiction and not like a published novel. The characters speak and behave like middle school kids rather than actual adults. The dialogue seemed unrealistic, like it was written by an adult trying to express the way teens today talk to one another, but instead making it sound awkward and dated. It also seemed like the author had trouble writing in a male voice. I had to keep reminding myself that the main character and his love interest were not girls...just as I had to remind myself that they were adults and not teens. DNF at 17%. Up to this point I have been reading either grammarless text messages or poorly written dialogue with no sense of a world setting or any semblance of a plot, and I can't bring myself to continue any further.