Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Meet Me in the Blue
SERIES: Hemlock Harbor #1
AUTHOR: AM Johnson
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 263 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 2, 2023
BLURB:
Meet me… in the place where the sun kisses the horizon and sinks into blue shades of you and me.
Meet me there… where everything was always perfect. You and me and the damp grass at dawn and the gray dirt in the late evening rain.
Meet me where we were ourselves and not these two people who can’t even say I love you.
Meet me there and maybe we’ll remember…
We’ll remember the us we were before them, before miles, before lost hours, and you’ll ask what color the sky is, and I’ll say blue like your eyes.
And you’ll smile, and I’ll forget I ever missed you.
Luka and Rook have been best friends since they were nine years old.
Five years ago, Luka threw it all away.
When his dad’s health takes a turn for the worst, Luka must come home to say his goodbyes and mend the bridges he burned all those years ago. But coming home is harder than he imagined, and after reuniting with his family, there’s only one person he needs.
Rook…
His best friend.
The one man he pushed away, the one man, no matter how hard he tried to forget, he can’t stop himself from loving.
Even if loving him means breaking his heart all over again.
REVIEW:
“This is what I’d always wanted, this delicate intimacy, these everyday moments where we couldn’t stop touching each other. And there didn’t have to be an ending. I could be like this, with him , hands on skin, and how was your day, and lips that tasted like sweet mint, and never feel unsatisfied. We’d fallen in love sometime between then and now , between the pages of our youth and climbing trees and the touch of his hand in mine and the heartache of missing each other. We’d found a way to this, to these familiar days and nights, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Be still my beating heart. Meet Me in the Blue is a special, heartwarming love story between two men who were childhood friends. I say “love story” rather than “romance” because it’s so much more for them than a relationship that began in adulthood. There’s a depth to their love, born from their history of spending their childhoods and tumultuous teenage years together. It’s a lifelong, best friends to lovers kind of love that encompasses much more than romantic love.
Meet Me in the Blue (a reference to the light at the end of the day when they spent so much time outdoors together) has a different feel than much of A.M. Johnson’s previous work. I have read and enjoyed all of her MM books; this one, however, has a special feel more reminiscent of Let There Be Light, the crowning glory of her writing thus far, in my opinion. As in that book, the prose here is beautiful, fluid, and lyrical.
Unbeknownst to Rook, Luka was in love with him during those many years as friends. But after graduation, Luka left their small town of Hemlock Harbor for college and then moved further away to Los Angeles. At first, they talked and texted regularly but eventually, Luka ghosted his best friend. It became too difficult for Luka to stay in contact with the man – the straight man – he loved.
Rook missed his best friend terribly. Now in the present day, it’s been five years since Rook has seen Luka, “Five years of feeling lost without a compass…I’d thought we’d be close forever. I’d thought Luka would always be my other half. He knew me better than anyone. I’d spent more hours of my life with Luka than I could count.”
When Luka returns to Hemlock Harbor, he knows he screwed up royally. He felt stifled at home and never quite fit in, but mostly, he fled because he was heartbroken that Rook couldn’t return his feelings. But leaving broke Rook’s heart. Rook is angry with Luka and Luka is deeply saddened that he ruined their friendship. “It was…quiet enough I could hear the distance my absence had created between us.” This time, though, he’s more than willing to prove himself to Rook, to wait for Rook to believe he isn’t going anywhere; he is here to stay and rebuild their friendship.
The story is told in alternating, first person POV with Rook’s chapters beginning with flashbacks to their youth. One of the advantages of Rook’s flashbacks is the opportunity for readers to witness the progression of his feelings for Luka that he didn’t recognize himself at the time. Rook has never been interested in girls/women or boys/men. He’s alone but chooses to be happy settling down with a house, a dog, and his midwifery practice in town. Now he sees Luka in a new light, feels sexual attraction, and determines he’s demisexual.
I love books with demi representation. Demi, ace, gray, bi – many people don’t need or want labels but for some who don’t identify as straight, gay, or lesbian, labels provide validation for feelings they haven’t understood.
Another aspect of this book I enjoyed is what I call slice of life scenes with Rook and Luka settling into domestic life, enjoying quiet moments of normalcy. This was particularly welcome as relief to the grief experienced by everyone. Be ready to grab a few (boxes of) tissues for some truly heartbreaking moments.
Mostly, I adored the depth of Rook and Luka’s boundless love for each other. Friends-to-lovers is a trope I enjoy but I find it becoming so commonplace lately and I’ve been growing tired of it. But not this time. Amanda does it perfectly. Remember, this is an all-encompassing love story not just a romance, with a fantastic epilogue, I must say. This book should be on your must-read list.
(I’m drooling over the cover.)
RATING: 
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