My Thoughts:
I'm not gonna lie, it took me three attempts to finish this book. When I first started reading it, I couldn't connect so it'd sit in my Kindle until my next attempt. It got recommended several times on the MM Recs FB Group page that I figured I owe it another try.
Third try is the charm. I was finally able to connect with the story, with Eli and with Haruka.
To me, this read was like watching a mixture of K-drama/J-drama with manga and a bit of western contemporary in a college setting. We get Eli who is touch averse and is dealing with a very traumatic past. Then there's the mysterious Japanese hunk who's domineering, rocking the silent but deadly vibe.
Haruka's personality and the way he is very protective of Eli, even the dominant part -- it reminds me of a K-drama protagonist: alpha, sometimes abrasive, but truly a cinnamon roll with their one true love. This portrayal is cultural and a lot of westerners reading who is not familiar with this will probably have issues to the point of calling it problematic. But for me, it is not. It's just the way it is.
Eli, though, is an adorable hot mess with inner strength. I love him even if he's fumbling his way into college. I love that he loves languages, I wish I could speak as much as he does. There are also times I want to wrap him in a bubble wrap. The kid is precious.
I very much enjoy the way Haruka and Eli's relationship developed. It's fascinating, they're complete opposites of each other, but somehow, they just work.
There's a paranormal/mystical side of the story here. It's a big part of the draw between Haruka and Eli's relationship. It was interesting how it was explained and how it happened. Legends, gods and all that.
Where it didn't work for me though, was around the 20% of the book. It took a weird turn. It felt rushed. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS YET.. STOP READING PAST THIS BECAUSE SPOILER ALERT! I mean a god appeared out of nowhere to claim Haruka and Eli, wth. The only inkling of this aspect was the story Eli read Haruka. I think that was crucial to the explanation of their extra layer of connection but it felt abrupt. Given how long the slow burn, character and relationship development between Eli and Haruka, to all of a sudden have a vengeful god confront them and then have another god defend and claim Haruka and Eli thus making it all workout in the end, it took the pacing of the book to a rushed level, almost like tying loose ends with a grand showdown but it just didn't catch. Even the resolution with Liam was abrupt, there was so much upset and build up then bam, he just OD'd. Like I said, the last few chapters of the book felt harried. I wish there was a smoother way of transitioning to those.
All in all though, I enjoyed reading this book. Specially the Japanese culture and Eli seeing his dream country for the first time. It made me miss the best years of my life, living in Japan.
I'd recommend this book to those who are fascinated with Japanese culture and languages in general, those who love paranormal but more contemporary grumpy loves sunshine, who loves unlikely pairing but they're perfect for each other. Reading this book, it's really like reading a manga/k-drama/j-drama.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
blurb:
Touch.
It's what most of us crave.
A source of comfort, companionship, and desire.
For Eli, it's a source of terror.
Branded by the trauma of his past, Eli is struggling in his freshman year of college. He might be afraid of just about everything, but in his heart of hearts, he's nobody's bitch.
Yet it's at his lowest point, that he first hears it. Him
The voice.
Wet feet, a frozen ass - this guy likes to complain, but why would Eli care about any of that, when he's got his own problems? The bigger question is what, or rather who, the voice is.
Afraid it's a sign of his fragile psyche's demise,
Eli is torn between hunting down the source to prove it's real, and ignoring it in case it isn't.
His eventual quest will see him grappling with geese, battling burritos, and dodging deities - all in the search for his sanity.
And maybe, just maybe, finding love.
Psync is a steamy, 18+ 94,000 word MM romance with the following tropes: Fated mates, touch aversion turned to bliss when touching your mate, hurt/comfort, yandere main character, and meddling gods.
Content warning: Trauma-related mental illness, mentions of past childhood trauma.
grab your copy of psync via amazon's ku.
.png)
Comments