Book Talk Review; Nothing To Gain

 

How gorgeous is this cover? I am SO in love with it.

Kicked out of his house as a teenager, Brett McHale is feminine, fabulous, and living with his best friend. His job at a cafe comes with the world’s best boss and the only other thing Brett wants he’s unlikely to get because the men he’s attracted to never seem to feel the same.

Linden Jacobs is finally out of his too-small hometown. He’s away at college, he has a new set of friends, a crush on a hot guy. Everything he’s ever wanted.

Almost.

Everything in Linden’s life has changed, but he doesn’t know how to let himself have what he wants the most.

After meeting Brett and realizing his dreams could be within reach, Linden confesses his desires to explore his feminine side. What starts as an innocent friendship between two men bonding over lipstick and soft clothes becomes something Brett can’t breathe without.

Convinced Linden doesn’t feel the same attraction, Brett tries to keep his heart on lockdown, but he quickly learns that being femme isn’t the only thing Linden is interested in exploring. Brett wants to give Linden more than twinkle lights, but he’s not sure if he’s worthy of being Linden’s ultimate destination, or just a stop on the way.

*

This book is the breath of fresh air that I needed. We all know that things have not been easy, life is insane, the world is on fire and most of us have been on edge for months now. When I got this book, I wasn't in a good place. My mental health was badly suffering and I was on a break to try to replenish my spoons. EM Denning gave me everything I needed and then some. 

Nothing to Gain is light and bright and so full of love and acceptance. I cried happy tears when I finished because the love between Brett and Linden was so warm and tender and it made my heart so happy. 

Brett is content with his life. He lives with his best friend, works with the best boss, and found his place in life where he's comfortable wearing pretty clothes and makeup. 

Linden is hiding from everyone, but especially himself. He likes pretty things but he doesn't have the courage to even try something on. It's not until he starts hanging around Brett more and finally confessing that he begins to see that what makes him different is what makes him beautiful. My heart ached for him. I wanted to cry for him. I wanted to wrap him up in a blankie and hold him tight and tell him that he can be whoever he wants, that he can wear whatever he wants and it's okay. 

These friends don't dare take the chance at something more until what they think are unrequited crushes become too much for them both to bear. It was kind of adorable watching them both try to navigate around one another as they weren't sure how the other felt. I wanted to shake them a few times and make them realize that what they both wanted was in reach, but they needed to take their time. Their story is slow-burning, it's soft, and sweet and breathed life back into me when I was reading. 

Brett and Linden are so vibrant and loving and the acceptance of themselves, each other, and that of their found family is one of the most heartwarming things ever. If you're looking for a book with a sweet love story that is all about being yourself and learning to accept what you like, then this is the book for you. It's one of the best EM Denning books I've read. She took everything I already loved about her and wrapped it up so it's all soft and pretty and just lovely. 

I could really gush about these two all day long. Every character becomes a favorite of mine, but these two really do have a soft spot in my heart now. This is one book I know I'm going to come back to because it's so full of love and good feels and sometimes you just need that. 

I really hope we get a book for Ansel because he's interesting and there's a story there that we have yet to uncover, plus that means I get to see more of Brett and Linden and I will never say no to that. 

*Quote-

"Sometimes the price we pay to be ourselves is uncomfortable. But sometimes the cost of not being ourselves is too steep." 

"There is nothing in this world worth sacrificing your sense of self for. Especially not the opinions of others." 

"Being with Brett made the world disappear. They didn't have to chase oblivion. It surrounded them. There was nothing left of the world. They were alone with their desperate kisses, gasping breaths, their whispered declarations and the kisses that said all the things they didn't have words for." 

"No one had ever kissed him like Linden kissed him, like he'd die without him. Like the world might end and this might be their last kiss, and he wanted to make it as wonderful as he could. And maybe the world was ending. Maybe it had already ended because there was nothing but his pulse thrashing in his ear and the feeling of Linden's velvet tongue caressing him, and his arms winding around him, tugging him down onto the bed. Down into oblivion."

"Linden knew from experience that happiness was fleeting. Life wasn't fair or perfect and expecting it to be was a way to set yourself up for disappointment. But this, this love that twined itself around his heart. This love that he felt shining out of himself. This love that Brett had shown him, had given him, the love that blossomed between them. It was perfect."