Book Talk Review; Curious

This book left me light, giddy, and with a full heart.

Two best friends. One week in paradise. One pact that goes explosively off the rails...

MSM - (men who have sex with men) - a growing phenomenon in which straight men engage in casual sex with other straight men, which sociologists attribute to loosening cultural norms and relaxing social views towards sexuality

Beau Lindemann and Nathan Sykes took their first steps together and went to their first prom in the same limo. In fact, there’s nothing the twenty-two-year-olds have ever kept from each other – except one long-simmering secret.

Today, Beau and Nathan have major girl problems. Each dumped by their girlfriends, they find themselves single, lonely and tipsy in Key West. After a boozy night of commiseration takes a shocking turn, Beau and Nathan decide to throw caution to the Atlantic winds, forget about girls for a few days, and make a pact to use each other’s bodies for sex.

That was their first mistake. But why worry about tomorrow when today feels this good?

Warning: this is not a warning. This book is about two dudes who love each other, and that's fine, and no "warning label" or "trigger warning" (as I often see on LGBT-related books) is needed, because there's nothing wrong with love. These warning labels only spread the idea that gay people are associated with shame and scandal, and you won’t ever find me using one. Thank you for reading. – Seth King 

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Let's talk about that "Warning" label for a second, Book Talkers. I love how this "warning" is just a warning that Seth King will never use one on his work. Why? Because so many times I've read "warning" or "trigger" labels associated with an M/M book I wanted to read and shook my head. 

I don't understand why a love story needs a warning label. If it's not dark romance, if it's not going to push my boundaries, then why the label? If you think reading a book about two men loving each other is pushing boundaries, you need to get out more. 

Let's remove all the "warning" labels and just have love. A love story is a love story, no matter the identity of those in love.  

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First things first, I have to say that Seth King writes sex just as well as he does emotion. Holy shit Curious is hot. It's hot and I freaking loved it. It was so different than what we normally get from him and it was perfect. 

Beau and Nathan couldn't have been any more perfect for each other. After all, who could love you the best and the most other than your best friend? No one. And that's what they learn. Oh, they also learn that they aren't as straight as once thought. These type of GFY, friends-to-lovers books are some of my favorite tropes. When you take two people who have always been perfect together and show the moments they realize it as well it makes for some great, sometimes emotional reading. 

Seth King did his thing again and brought us a love story. A love story that just happened to be about two guys discovering they liked dick for the first time. 

The whole concept of MSM is an interesting one. And while it's something that's been vaguely acknowledged in other friends-to-lovers or GFY (hate that term by the way) book, it's never been such in depth as it is in Curious. 

The whole things starts because Nathan is curious about an article. Then he's curious about his best friend. Then he's curious about his best friend's dick and ass and every other part of him. And suddenly they're both curious together. 

Curious is written in a way a lot of Seth's books aren't. It's told from both Beau and Nathan's POVs. And while I can name which books have dual POV,  it's not the same as with Curious. Both men are learning how to deal with each other on a non-platonic basis and so you need to see both sides of the story. Considering the male POV is my favorite to read and write, to have it told by both men hit all the right buttons for me as a reader. 

I knew this book wasn't going to just be the fun, sexy, light read it is portrayed as. After all, I learned a long time ago to never expect things when it comes to Seth King and his writing. What I didn't expect was to feel as light, as giddy, and as in love as I do. 

I cried happy tears. I'm still crying happy tears. 

Book Talkers I can count on one hand maybe the number of times I finished a book crying happy tears. 

Not all my tears were happy, there was a moment when my eyes started leaking that I was afraid. I do not put HEA and Seth King in the same category very often. And anyone who has read a good number of his previous work will know why. 

I never wanted this story to end. I wanted to stay with Beau and Nathan forever as they came into themselves (and each other) and found the balance and the strength to make life what they wanted it to be. Yes we see that during various points, but this book is set in the real world. Something I've always admired from Seth and will probably always admire. He isn't afraid to tell it how it is. 

I remember what started my Seth King journey and why I started focusing myself on things that most people don't-unless they're living it. It was a book called Straight, a book that opened my eyes and my world and changed a lot of my thinking. A book that to this day remains my absolute favorite book and the one I recommend everyone to read. Curious is a lot like Straight in a way that it asks questions. Curious makes not only the characters look at themselves and the world in a different light, but it's readers as well. 

Curious can be a bit messy, after all, how do two guys go from being best friends to more-than-friends? It can also be light, and funny, and full of love. Love that is sorely lacking in this world. 

If you're curious about Seth King as you've never read him then pick this book up. It's something that will make you feel good afterwards. Something that will make you feel love. As you can't read about the love between these two characters and not feel it yourself. 

*Quote-

"I need to feel that I'm not sitting here alone." 

"This country would be a totally different place if it just stepped back and let people live their lives." 

"You're making me fly." 

"Because love is not conditional, regardless of its form at any given moment."

"the other night I had a dream starring God

And he told me 

that the bravest thing anyone could ever do

is to be brave enough to love 

in a world that just wants you to be afraid" 

-Abri