Reviewed by Dan

TITLE:  Ethan, Who Loved Carter

AUTHOR:     Ryan Loveless

PUBLISHER:     Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH:     210 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 17th 2012

BLURB:

By twenty-four, Carter Stevenson has stuttered and ticced his way to debilitating shyness. Although his friends accuse him of letting his Tourette’s dictate his life, Carter moves from Los Angeles to a quiet California town. He’ll keep his head down and avoid people. He doesn’t anticipate his new neighbor, Ethan Hart, crashing into his solitude and forcing him to get out and live.

From the beginning, Ethan makes his love for Carter clear. But he fears Carter won’t see past Ethan’s damaged brain, even though it makes Ethan more attuned to his emotions than most people. For Carter, there’s a bigger issue: he’s been burned by so-called “perfect” matches, and he won’t risk his heart again.

One way or another, Ethan’s determined to show Carter they belong together. Then Ethan receives tragic news. Suddenly he must turn to Carter for strength and support. Will Carter come through when Ethan needs him most?

REVIEW:

I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages. I’ve always heard good things about it, and had it in my TBR pile, but never got to it. There is a young adult book, Ethan, which is I believe based on this story, but in a young adult friendly format which is coming out next week, which I’m also going to read and review.

For this week, I’m bringing you the book from 2012. I’ve got to tell you, I really enjoyed this story and the characters that the author created. The book opens with one of the main characters, Carter Stevenson, moving from Los Angeles to a smaller quieter locale to get away from the hassle of the city. Carter has Tourette’s Syndrome and has suffered from strange tics and severe stuttering for most of his life. He is happy to be able to work from home on musical arrangements for a friend who runs a theatre company, but when he moves into his new house, he instantly notices the young man living next door.

Ethan Hart is the next door neighbor. Ethan suffers from a Traumatic Brain Injury as a result of an injury ten years or so before the timeline in the story. Ethan has also noticed the guy with no shirt on in the backyard next door.

The man with Tourette’s and the man with a Traumatic Brain Injury seem to understand each other better than others, and it isn’t long before they are dating. Ethan is in his late twenties, and is sexually active, but at first Carter hesitates. Is he taking advantage? With Ethan’s parents’ blessings though, the relationship continues and grows.

I loved the journey of Carter and Ethan. I’ll admit I read with one eye closed and the other peaking because I was sooo afraid the title meant something happened to one of them. A lot happens to both of them in the story, but nothing insurmountable.

I very highly recommend this book. I feel the author did a fantastic job researching and detailing the issues both men lived with, and their feelings and backgrounds made it a story that keep me reading straight through from cover to cover. I really enjoyed reading it, and look forward to the young adult version coming next week.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Dreamspinner Press 

Amazon  

ARe