I enjoyed this book much more than Collision Course, which was way too heavy on the sex. There were a lot of things I liked about this book. What I most appreciated was the fact that Kim was refreshingly NOT stereotypically written. There aren't many gay romances with Asian leads or side characters, and the ones that exist, tend to fall into this trap of stereotypes-i.e., speak broken English, are computer hackers, or are more weak/feminine. In fact, I think Dirty Kiss is the only novel besides this one that manages to succeed with an Asian MC. Back to the book. I knew Kim was an arrogant and distant kind of guy, as portrayed in Collision Course, and I was expecting to dislike him based on other reviews. However, I didn't think Kim was really that much of a douchebag as I was expecting-he never wanted to deliberately hurt Shane, he just wasn't the most socially aware person. I found his misguided attempts at trying to work on the tenous relationship between him and Shane and more than once failing miserably to understand what exactly Shane is asking of him, oddly endearing. Kim's sometimes standoffish and reserved personality makes perfect sense once you learn his history and understand just how harsh and unyielding some Asian cultures can be when it comes to taboo topics and familial expectations. I enjoyed seeing Shane gradually coax Kim out of his carefully constructed inner walls.
Another thing I liked was that even though they technically only knew each other for just a few weeks, the progression of their feelings and relationship seemed natural and not rushed. There are still plenty of issues and doubts between them that they need to work out which helped keep me invested in how their relationship would play out.
Definitely going to re-read this and has earned a place on my favorites shelf.
I'm rounding this up from a 4.5, just because I was in the right frame of mind for a book with snarky characters that might've otherwise turned me off. :)
