Reviewed by Stephen K
TITLE: Who Are We Fooling?
AUTHOR: Wendi B. Dennison
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 407 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 20th 2021
BLURB:
David Vernon’s life is out of control. College was a bust, dating only feels like a chore, and he can’t seem to find a way to feel settled. He devotes his time to his workouts, his body to his tattoos, and control to the fact that he can’t remember his last haircut. He has never particularly considered himself strong, simply a shard leftover from a broken home. David waited years to finally get out of his miserable little hometown, to finally graduate, move away, start a new life, but fate wasn’t kind to his plans. When his younger sister Amy, just months away from her High School graduation, finally reaches her breaking point with their abusive father, David finds himself back in the small town he worked so hard to get out of. He would make up for leaving her behind, for not being there when she needed him; he would take her away. What should have been simple is proven to be anything but, as David’s heart finds its counterpoint in an unexpected confidant.
Andrew Braiden just wants to avoid ass-kickings from bullies long enough to create art. He is a soft-spoken young man with a timid heart and a hopeful spark, that drives him toward his dreams of being an artist. That same drive pushes him to flee from that same hometown, to make something of himself on his own terms and be himself without ridicule.
Through a single act of kindness, Andrew and David’s lives come together, and it sets both their worlds off-kilter. Years, miles, and fears will separate them, but could Andrew be the compass through David’s journey of self-discovery?
REVIEW:
Trigger warning: brief references to parental abuse and suicide.
For a debut novel Wendi Dennison has crafted a compelling story. It quickly enamors us of her main characters and engages us in her story-line. I’m a sucker for coming-home stories and this started as one of those. I’m a sucker for underdogs and bullies getting their comeuppances and this story has those elements as well. I’m a sucker for waifs and strays, and siblings uniting against a sometimes uncaring world and it’s one of those. Finally, this is the story of a smart but somewhat clueless straight-boy finding out, much to his chagrin, that maybe, just maybe, he’s not all that straight.
That said… Wendi could clearly use the services of a good copy-editor to tighten up her prose. She really needs to rethink her sometimes goofy word choices, and to finally learn the difference between lie and lay, but the bones of a great story are clearly in evidence. The last time I read a book that hooked me this completely but had me reaching so often for the blue pencils in my mind involved sparkly vampires and native American wolf-boys.
I’d advise anyone who enjoys a sweet m/m romance by a new author to take a look at this one. But anyone who’s also an English teacher (or an “Authoritarian Grammarian”) should probably have a couple of glasses of wine first.
RATING: 
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