The summary is a bit brief in this one, so I'll give a slightly longer one while avoiding any big spoilers:

The novel starts with our MC being unwillingly dragged along to beat up some guy with his "gang." They don't see the guy at the dedicated spot, so MC goes off to an abandoned building to "look" for him, but really MC is just there to be depressed and internally rage that he's having to do this sh*t when he really just wants to study and get out of this... more>> town.

It's in this building that he meets ML, who basically propositions s*x at first sight, and MC being the embodiment of teen angst decides this will be great stress relief. Unfortunately, he goes home and turns out his hook up is now his stepbrother. Cue the start of their complicated and ambiguous relationship lol

The relationship development is a bit odd, and I'm really not sure how to describe it other than two boys not knowing what they're doing but just going with the flow? ML is flirty and very forward with physical contact, while MC is a bit more restrained, but seems the type to fall fast. It's a very interesting and sweet dynamic between them, and I enjoyed it a lot despite not really knowing what was going on in their heads all the time. Young love is kind of like that though, so I think the author did a great job with balancing ambiguity and raw feelings.

I'd honestly rate a 4 as there's a few things missing in the ending, but the overall rating is way too low so will keep my rating higher! I did enjoy reading, but it's a bit unfulfilling as there are quite a few loose ends:

Spoiler

They don't come out to their parents and there's no real discussion of how that would even go, but honestly it's probably better to not write it than to rush an ending with all the drama that would ensue from doing so.

The whole novel also only spans at most a few months, so there isn't too much character development and MC doesn't seem to have really found what he wants to do in his life, which was one of the things that bothered him at the start. I feel like his relationship with ML has centered him in his priorities though, and the ending doesn't leave him in a state of disarray by any means.

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So sweet! I loved getting a bit of both of their points of view.

Finally something different from the standard BL. Good communication, both clear about what they wanted.

And the chemistry! You can really see their feelings growing.

Would have loved to read more of this.

I'm so excited that Chrysanthemum Garden is translating this. It's totally up my alley, I wish it was all out already!

The writing is paced well, with good moments of slowness where you can feel the characters breathe, but still punchy and keeps progressing.

It's got some great tropes so far– recovering from first crush while he realizes he misses you, finding out your new fixation is going to be your stepbrother, friends groups are at war, growing up and finding how to know what you want for yourself, internal conflict, s*xual... more>> awakening, enthusiastic bottom, realistic cultural depictions of homosexuality.

Really looking forward to seeing more! <<less

It's nice. Quite realistic. Although I wished QY would talk and express himself more instead of Ranxin succumbing all the time. It's a story befitting of teenagers experience; the friendship, family and the relationship brouhaha, even if QuHao was annoying.

I actually liked the ending, it's not easy coming out and not that necessary all the time. They're also still young facing future uncertainties. It's best to leave the ocean calm and peaceful at the moment.

Kudos to the translator, an excellent translation 👍

The pacing and the story istelf reminded me of listening to an uncle/auntie's specific story in their life over snacks 😭. It left me wanting to know the whole story but then the uncle/auntie had to leave now.

Alright, I think it's finally time for me to drop a review on this one.

As the other reviewer has said, the synopsis doesn't really have that much detail into the story, but I'd like you to think of this novel in one sentence:

A story of two people trying to figure out what it really meant to love after experiencing failed relationships in love.

This is also a story of awakening, of what it means to love a man which 'they' think you shouldn't. I think it clearly depicts how society in... more>> reality is, but in this story, the atmosphere isn't that heavy and doesn't revolve around that too much. It's not all fluff, there's slight angst, but there will always be moments of them being soft to each other and—I'm living for that!

I don't know why the reviews are so low, but I believe this story deserves a chance to be known and read. It has its good elements. The characters themselves have their own principles and lapses, but they'll fix their issues along the way.

And oops, another thing. It's forbidden love. Hehehe. <<less