All the Wrong Places (Bluewater Bay, #14) By Ann Gallagher
But the way Ann Gallagher wrote Zafir and Brennan felt realistic and I was instantly drawn to them and never once thought that I was reading about made up characters From the first page on I was in the story and couldn t stop reading until I had finished the book. Brennan and Zafir initially bond over Brennan figuring out that he s asexual Zafir offers to answer any questions Brennan has and soon they re spending a lot of time together I loved how their relationship slowly build And was rooting for them both the whole time. The story flowed really nicely There s just the right amount of drama to keep it interesting but it all felt real Like it was two people figuring out what they want and who they are and not characters in a book. I expected Brennan to question his sexuality than he did He seemed to be really comfortable to finally know what to label himself So him questioning it that late in the story seemed strange Then again as I said before there s nothing like a textbook asexual and I did expect him to question it. I ve read almost all books in this series and this one is a fantastic addition to it It s sweet and romantic and a great example of what it s like to be asexual Definitely recommended English rep brennan mc is asexual zafir mc is asexual demisexual greysexual and biromantic. This isinteresting The relationship is nice for the most part They re kind and supportive of each other in a way that was refreshing I don t really care for the sort of insta love.
Three cheating girlfriends in a row have given skateboarder Brennan Cross the same excuse he wasn t meeting their needs Desperate and humiliated he goes to the professionals at the local sex shop for advice Zafir Hamady a sales clerk at Red Hot Bluewater has an unusual theory he doesn t think Brennan is a bad lover In fact he doesn t think Brennan is heterosexual Or sexual at all for that matter He also can t stop thinking about Brennan But even if he s right and Brennan really is asexual that doesn t mean Zafir has a chance Brennan s never dated a man and Zafir s never met anyone who s game for a Muslim single father with a smart mouth and a GED Brennan s always thought of himself as straight But when sex is explicitly out of the mix he finds himself drawn to Zafir for the qualities and interests they share And Zafir can t help enjoying Brennan s company and the growing bond between Brennan and his son They work well together but with so many issues between them doubts creep in and Brennan s struggle with his identity could push away the one person he didn t know he could love All the Wrong Places Bluewater Bay 14 
Ann Gallagher is the slightly civilized alter ego of site_link L. A Witt site_link Lauren Gallagher and site_link Lori A Witt So she tells herself anyway When she isnt wreaking havoc on Spain with her husband and trusty two headed Brahma bull she writes romances just like her wilder counterparts but without all the heat Source. A Witt site_link Lauren Gallagher and site_link Lori A Witt So she tells herself anyway When she isn t wreaking havoc on Spain with her husband and trusty two headed Brahma bull she writes romances just like her wilder counterparts but without all the heat Source. com site_link This was a sweet light read with enough substance to not be fluff Brennan is a semi pro skateboarder working in a shop and chasing competition success He s broken up with three girlfriends in a row all of whom bashed his confidence about his desirability and performance as a boyfriend He goes into the local sex shop determined to figure something out and meets Zafir working there Telling his tale of woe to a stranger is somehow possible and Zafir who is asexual asks Brennan if he s considered that might be why he s had issues Brennan hasn t imagined that a possibility but the he reads and thinks the it seems to fit his interest in romance and closeness but his apathy about actual sex And as he gets closer to single dad Zafir and teaches his son to skateboard he starts to wonder if the gender of his interest is as locked in stone as he thought This was a warm awakening and coming out to yourself story with a fairly believable kid always a bonus and two ace guys who are not demi keeping sex off the table I like stories with demi guys too but they tend to bow to genre conventions I had a few quibbles about how fast Zafir recognized Brennan s orientation though I can chalk it up to wishful thinking finding someone like himself close to home I wished there was a bit external push back eg from Zafir s parents and I wasn t crazy about the moment of conflict the degree to which it blew up felt out of character for Brennan But this is a good entry into the ace spectrum romances with warmth and very low key drama Potentially a comfort reread English 3. There was a real sweetness to the way the two MCs were together and some really great moments that were downright swoony I liked the detail about their lives liked the coming out as ace narrative though I am not ace so I can t speak to accuracy and resonance but I did find a couple of reviews by ace folks that spoke fairly well of it but also the daily grind at their jobs all the parenting stuff even the skating stuff I generally am not a sports person This is the first ace romance I ve read that is two ace folks and I am really hoping there are out there I really liked that they connected with other ace folks that the story showed them in community and not just as an isolated couple I really fell for Tariq Zafir s kid loved how much he was centered in the story Mostly the story felt full the characters weren t thinly drawn for the most part though I do have an issue with the way Zafir was characterized another issue with the way Aimee was characterized Zafir kept being surprised that Brennan treated him decently and didn t reject him That part didn t really feel earned didn t resonate for me I am someone who has lived that kind of romantic history which made it esp striking that it wasn t resonating pretty much at all Instead it felt like it was assumed that he would feel that way as a Muslim Lebanese American biromantic asexual working class single dad which made me uncomfortable Kind of like the way some writers of queer stories M M romance assume all queer men are miserable because they are queer are constantly treated badly in all their relationships It didn t just make me uncomfortable because that s a framework for understanding his life that s deeply othering but also because it made Brennan a hero just for being halfway decent and somewhat considerate because that s the best Zafir could imagine that alone was miraculous I got why Brennan was into Zafir but never really got why Zafir was into Brennan And after the things Brennan said when he was freaking out I had big doubts Especially because it was discussed as if the things he said weren t mean or hateful and they were What he said was really not ok And I know that people say cruel and hurtful things when they are freaking out but the downplaying of it the way it was resolved felt like the story really let Brennan off the hook and also excused something that felt quite like stalking The happy ending did not feel earned and also felt kind of rushed which aligns with my read of Brennan in the relationship in generalhe didn t earn his place in Zafir s life So the ending wasn t satisfying to me And the thing is I liked Brennan He was a complicated character I wanted to root for But he didn t step up enough and the way Zafir saw him wasn t about the particularity of him enough was about the bad things he didn t do I wanted for them both It felt ironic that Aimee basically thought that Brennan was using his relationship with Zafir to get over her because she really felt like a tool used by the author to help Brennan realize stuff That also made me uncomfortable especially since she was the only woman that got significant time and attention in the novel and part of how she was used as a tool was to have her be treated terribly and like an object by a misogynist dude I know that many people want to see cheaters punished but I gotta say this reeked of misogyny to me Trigger Warnings Acephobic and homophobic comments as part of a break up of an ace and homoromantic relationship Acephobic comments in response to someone coming out as ace Ace people talking quite a bit about having consensual sex with partners who were allo Cheating Repeated unwanted contact that verged on stalking Filming of sex that wasn t consented to Film of sex shared with an ex without anyone s consent to hurt that person Multiple injuries from skating that were described in detail including a child getting injured and being rushed to the ER English Reviewed for From Top to Bottom Reviews. 5 stars I received an ARC of this book from Riptide Publishing via Netgalley in return of an honest review I ve read a few books with asexual characters and some of them were really disappointing because they portray us as being defective and needing healing And by the end of the book the asexual would be cured and really loving sex and wanting it But I knew that this one wouldn t be one of those stories because the author is Ann Gallagher also writing as L. A Witt Lauren Gallagher and Lori A Witt And one thing you can trust this author to do no matter under which pseudonym the book is published is that she does her research and that she doesn t write cardboard characters Her characters are always fleshed out and relatable. And Brennan and Zafir were such characters Ann Gallagher created two believable ace characters There s nothing like a text book ace and there s a lot of differences and the angst conflict is disappointing to say the least The representation of asexuality is also a little disappointing because it s continuously described as not being interested in sex And sexual attraction sex drive and interest in sex are conflated I like that asexuality being a spectrum is acknowledged and discussed I like that labels not being something that everyone needs is also discussed and that not identifying with any label is okay and valid Also I appreciated that when Zafir is talking about how he d have sex with his past partner even though he had no interest in it to make them happy he said that it was understood that if he didn t want to they wouldn t and his partner was okay with it Because the idea that asexual people or anyone really should have sex they don t want or enjoy to either make their partner happy or to keep their relationship is highkey toxic and Bad The phrase just friends is used a lot which pushes the idea that friendship is lesser emotion or importance wise than romance At one point a character is talking about the genders a guy could be interested in and only men and women are mentioned as well as referring to them as both which obviously implies that there are only two genders I like that a character mentions that affection and touch aren t inherently sexual Brennan s ex is the worst Zafir is probably my favorite character I wish there had been with the asexual group and that they talked about their ace ness And I wish there had been a little plot wise. So going back to the asexual thing I drummed my fingers on the table If it s not too personal where do you fall on the spectrum I kind of go back and forth between graysexual and demisexual. You go back and forth Mm hmm I lean graysexual not into sex one way or the other but sometimes I do get sexually involved with people I just have to be really into someone emotionally in order to want sex with them So a little demisexual I guess English After reading the blurb for All the Wrong Places I was convinced that I wouldn t like it that much since my favorite books usually have lots of dirty filthy sex in them since both characters are asexuals I knew this wasn t up my alley and yet I was compelled to read it This book ended up being a journey of self discovery for Brennan one of our main characters and for me as well If you re expecting any heat or sex of any kind if the lack of steam is a deal breaker for you then this book is not for you. Brennan is a man in his 20 s who s struggling to understand what he s doing wrong in his relationships with women He knows his problems start with his inability to make his girlfriends sexually happy he realizes something must be wrong yet he can t figure out what needs to change Heartbroken after his latest girlfriend cheated on him he goes to Red Hot Bluewater the adult store in Bluewater Bay in search of some answers who better to answer his questions other than a person who s heard it all and would never make fun of him Zafir is an asexual man who s also bi romantic able to form strong emotional connections with both sexes and who falls under the gray sexual area of the asexual spectrum able to have sex and enjoy it if there is a strong emotional connection established with that person talking to Brennan even for a few minutes makes it very obvious to him that Brennan is asexual as well Yes Brennan has been in relationships with women and has had sex with every single one of them but he s never initiated it and has always been a source of tension for him Zafir and Brennan become friends they have a lot in common and enjoy spending time together Zafir is tremendously helpful to Brennan someone who can answer all his questions reassure him that he is normal and just as good as everybody else even if his body isn t wired to need sex. What I loved most about this book was how complex the characters are there s than just the issue of asexuality that s being discussed Zafir is muslim follows the muslim religion and he is teaching his own son about the teachings of Allah can you imagine a better time than right now to discuss address the struggles of muslim men and women the discrimination and hatred people have towards them Zafir s insecurities run deep and are not due to his religion only becoming a single father at 17 has been brutal but his son came first even if that meant dropping out of high school in order to care for him Hard work and perseverance lead him to a GED and a string of retail jobs currently working two jobs in order to afford a better life for his child doesn t give him much spare time to spend with his son but he is aware of the sacrifices he needs to make Zafir is aware that he will never have a successful career and that s a sore issue for him him and his son Tariq have dealt with a lot of loss over the years and it seems like Zafir is never good enough for people to stay He is either too poor too short looks too much like a terrorist too uneducated lacking potential for even though his friendship with Brennan starts to feel like even though he starts to develop feelings for Brennan he is determined to keep things as they are If they don t become than friends then Brennan will not find a reason to leave him and Tariq. This book is about than sex it s about how to fall in love with somebody you never expected to fall for It s not about sexual attraction it s about emotional attraction and soul deep connection It s about prejudice and struggles about self discovery and learning to accept that being different still means being normal It s about a child struggling to accept that the people he loves always leave about an adult struggling with his sense of self worth I learned so much from this book or maybe learned isn t exactly the right word Sure I ve heard of asexual people I ve read about them even but I never truly grasped what it really means and how it truly feels This book has become personal to me it helped me understand things about myself that I never considered It was beautiful enlightening and has a beautiful happy ending Recommended English 3. A Witt Lauren Gallagher she isn t afraid to try new things I mean really not afraid When she sees a challenge she just grabs it by the balls and makes it her bitch I just love her for it and I continue to try all of her stuff because I m always fascinated about what I m going to get This book wow she really expanded my horizons First of all we get two asexual MCs a POC MC and one of the MCs is a father I ll talk about the asexuality aspect first because that was really well done IMO I ve only read one other book with a MC who identified as asexual and that was How To Be A Normal Person In that case only one MC was asexual which was a doozy for me to wrap my head around In this case both MCs identified as asexual which was easier for me to digest Granted fellow readers the concept of asexuality is something that I struggle with I m pretty far on the opposite end of the sexuality spectrum so the entire notion of a romantic relationship without sexual attraction is something that I ve spent many nights pondering over in my head I am without a doubt NOT questioning the validity of asexuality or the ability of those who identify as such to have meaningful and romantic if they chose relationships but it is something that jars with my personal notion of what I look for in a relationship so I really have to go outside myself and inside the characters heads to understand where they are coming from What I really liked is how Ann Gallagher made the concept of asexuality very easy to understand for readers without it coming across as too didactic She even went into some subsets of asexuality a little bit and I spent a good while googling some new to me terms. I also found to be VERY interesting is how she made Brennan s character sort of a BFY situation Brennan previously identified as heterosexual with no interest in men After meeting and having a prolonged friendship with Zafir he discovered that he is actually bi romantic I m a sucker for stories where characters have to expand what they thought was their sexual orientation so Brennan discovering that he could have a romantic relationship with a man was pretty cool for me I also liked the friendship between Brennan and Zafir and how much support they gave one another What I struggled with a great deal were two issues One I didn t really feel the ROMANCE between Zafir and Brennan They felt very friendship y to me and it really had nothing to do with the fact that they didn t have sex I m not sure why that was but I just didn t feel that deep romance connection that I like to have to sweet me off my feet Maybe it s because I subconsciously look for attraction as a cue for chemistry Could be The second issue that I really had was the pacing I mean nothing much happens in this story The plot was basically just them hanging out Working Talking That s it I thought that the story didn t have enough excitement to maintain my interest which was a bit of a shame I learned a little about Muslim men and skateboarding but I really wanted something intense to happen Overall I think that readers looking for a book with asexual characters will really be pleased by this one However readers who are just discovering what asexuality is should also try this It was a nice read and I am grateful to Ann Gallagher for bringing something new to the table Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review Oh and the dental references on point English I was game when I knew this is about asexual people I have some asexual friends so now I know what they feel about their sexuality. A Witt and I m not disappointed I need to read some I hope Inshallah This story though I enjoyed and couldn t put down maybe part of it because I know it s not easy for Zafir and Brennan to admit about their interest to each other Asexual remember So yeah there s no sex on page this time There are some affectionate kisses some comfort time for them And mostly I liked it how Brennan and Tariq get along very well. 75 stars rounded upFirst this is about two ace guys finding love so if you need sex in your romance this might not be for you Second Zafir is Muslim and while religion isn t a part of the book it is a significant part of who he is so if any kind of religious talk however insignificant upsets you you might want to consider that before picking this up Third there s a kid He seemed pretty realistic for a nine year old if a bit too perfect sometimes Zafir has sole custody so Tariq s present in a lot of the book and is obviously an important factor in Zafir s decisions and life And I think that covers all the major stuff that might turn some of my friends away Onto the review This had some hiccups along the way and I was mostly cruising along at a 3 star rating until the end which bumped it up This is dual 1st person POV and there is no distinction between voices and I did sometimes lose track of whose POV I was in and who was talking especially if I had to put the book down mid chapter As some of my friends can attest this sometimes lead to humorous misunderstandings but really these misunderstandings shouldn t have happened If authors can t write distinctive voices they really should stay away from dual 1st person POV There was a lot of Ace 101 in the front end of the book and I understand completely why it s there Brennan never heard of asexuality before now and a lot of people out there still haven t heard of it or don t know what it really means or don t think it s a real thing But as an ace myself I found it a bit tedious at times Still it was nice to actually see a character struggle to understand his sexuality once he discovers he wasn t as heteronormative as he d always assumed Too often in GFY romances the Straightest Straight Guy to Ever Straight finds out he likes dong and never bats an eye or looks back It s not realistic and this book really allows Brennan the space and time he needs to figure himself out and open up to a new understanding of himself It s not all smooth sailing and I appreciated that is wasn t all sappy and gooey feelings And GFY is the totally wrong label for this but biromantic for you is just a mouthful I found the romance sweet and well done and both the MCs were good guys They re struggling to make ends meet and Zafir is trying his best to raise his kid alone They hit it off as friends first and I found the relationship progression given everything they were both going through wasn t rushed too much mostly because there are some challenges later that help round it out a bit That said the ending was a bit rush and I would ve like that to be fleshed out but I think that s just because I was really getting into it by that point and then it was over So does LA Witt change pen names when she doesn t have smoking in her books LOL English I have no desire whatsoever to have sex I m not repulsed by it just not interested But that doesn t mean I don t want a companion And it doesn t mean I can t connect with someone I don t have to be sexually interested in someone to feel like my world is better with them in it It s a different kind of love than loving my sister or my son or my friends It s like this is a person who s come into my life and changed it and I want them to stay Bear with me because this review might be a little like a confessionAbout three years ago in my mid thirties I was finally ABLE to acknowledge that I am indeed an asexual Heck I even wrote something about it it was still available online Back then I claimed that I was grey ace but since asexuality is a spectrum nowadays I m quite comfortable to say that I m full ace Within that three years I ve also seen a number of romance with ace characters appearing in my timeline It s a wonderful development for sure However at the same time I feel weary to read them Why Because if it doesn t feel relatable to me if the ace seems can only get the happiness by being saved by the allosexual person or if the ace character seems to have to be the one making sacrifices to be with the allosexual partner then it will be double disappointment I don t want that Which is why I haven t read as many as romance with aces And All the Wrong Places has a Muslim character as well So it s like triple concerns for me since I m also a Muslim However at the same time this one seems to get stamp of approval from a couple of ace reviewers see Annie s So I decided to throw cautions to the wind Well I admit I was sniffling a bit near the end because I was really touched In the beginning I was REALLY worried that Ms Gallagher is trying to give lecture about asexuality to non ace readers She was a bit too info dumpy about it However as the story went along I was engaged by it I know that not all aces are the same each have their own experience with asexuality However Brendan s discovery of his asexuality as well as Zafir s viewpoint about relationship felt highly relatable for me From Brendan s questioning about what was wrong with him to Zafir saying that they can define relationship in any way they like Because yes relationship can be than just sex I appreciated how Brendan and Zafir came together as a couple I read how a number of reviews think that the romance is lacking in this one but not to me Yes their relationship vibe might be friendship y but isn t there a saying that you re lucky to fall in love with your best friend Brendan and Zafir defines their own version of romance that doesn t involve sexual attraction or physical sex That s to me is as romantic as it can be for them. It was also lovely to have Zafir as a Muslim who still doesn t drink alcohol and tries to keep eating halal foods Although it ll be nice to have Muslim characters NOT coming from Middle East though And Tariq is probably one of the most precious kids in a book ever So this is a precious PRECIOUS book for me I feel that Ms Gallagher treats these asexual characters with respect which makes me really happy All in all All the Wrong Places has been a wonderful and satisfying read. PS I learned that I m actually an apothisexual in addition to aromantic Hah thanks for introducing that term to me Ms Gallagher English As I sit down to write this it has been almost 24 hours since I first heard of the shooting in the gay club in Orlando Over the intervening hours the injuries and terrible loss of life increased in front of our very eyes Those of us across the country and the globe couldn t do much than grieve and rage as the story unfolded. There are no words for my grief and yet what I experience safe here with my family and friends around me is nothing compared to what others deal with right now For the people who were in that club and those who have had loved ones killed and injured what can I say How do you give words to an overwhelming grief anger loss of perceived safety and an awakening determination that we will stand together As I sit here trying to write this review it has been almost 24 hours It feels like no time at all and yet I feel stretched thin by each tick of the clock. As I sit here I am at a loss How do I do something so mundane as this as if these hate fueled murders never happened I have been writing reviews for than three years and never before have I felt so lost when staring down at a blank page. Still I don t believe in fate and even less in god but I think if ever there was a book to review at this moment at this time All the Wrong Places might be it A story about a man finding himself and falling in love with an asexual Muslim single father all the while learning that in the words of the ever incomparable Lin Manuel Miranda Love is love is love is love is love. My reading of this book was bisected by this tragedy There was before Orlando and after Before grief and after rage It was a strange thing to come to this story from two such places No doubt it colored my view of these characters of their story and their love I cannot remove myself from that I don t know if I would want to if I could. In a world that would seek to divide us with hate and fear I think we need to remember that A book about a biromantic man of the Muslim faith could anything be better for us right now A story that doesn t hide our differences but celebrates them is there any better lesson for us right now Books that teach us about love in all its forms are desperately needed I can count on one hand probably together the number of books I ve read with asexual or with Muslim MCs That I can actually number both of these things is not good We need So much We need love not less. This is not the review I would have written given the chance But I don t think I am the person I was 24 hours ago I wish I could find in me some place that matches this wonderful lighthearted book It was my shelter for a few hours in what had become a nightmare It deserves better than this But I cannot yet find that part of me not even 24 hours on. Zafir and Brennan are not perfect characters I loved them all the same For a book that never got heavy it sure did a damn good job of making sure all its hits counted It also treated its characters with respect but didn t stop them from messing up if only so that they could learn their lesson Nothing about realizing such intimate and at times profound things about yourself is easy I can attest to that I ve been there and got the coffee mug T shirt and novelty slippers to prove it But it is what you do with that struggle that matters Learning to love yourself is probably the hardest thing in life It is worth it though. With everything that has happened in the last 24 hours I am glad that I had some place to retreat when it all got too much And I m glad it was this book Despite not knowing how to say it I am glad I get the chance to share this book with others On days like today we need to remember that love is worth it Zafir s weight shifted and rocks and sand crunched as he stepped a little closer His shirt was a light breeze away from touching mine He lifted his hand off my forearm and I held my breath Even before his fingers moved into my peripheral vision I knew what was coming. Eyes locked on mine he touched my face My heart was going impossibly fast now I was vaguely aware that we were out in public and someone might lean over the guardrail above and see us but I didn t care. 5 starsThis book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes Go there to check out other reviews author interviews and all those awesome giveaways Click below English
| All the Wrong Places (Bluewater Bay, #14) By Ann Gallagher |
| 1626494207 |
| 9781626494206 |
| English |
| 240 |
| Paperback |