As the title indicates, all the characters in the book have become used to short term relationships for one reason or another. We spend time with four main characters, Kate, Liza, Nathan and Emily.
Kate is perhaps the most used to short term romantic relationships. After the breakdown of her marriage she’s never quite met the right one and has developed a reputation for her short term outlook. Kate is the character that ties everyone in the book together and I really liked her narrative and journey.
Liza is a triathlete and wedding photographer. She’s Kate’s roommate and tends to find herself in shorter term relationships due to her driven attitude to succeed with her triathlons. She’s fallen for someone but isn’t sure to how to broach it with them.
Emily broke up with her husband five years ago, but hasn’t had any success finding a new long-term partner. She’s suffering from a case of unrequited love, watching her son grow older and trying to navigate the Seattle scene, looking for her own long-term partner.
Nathan transitioned three years ago. He fronts a successful local band looking to make it bigger but is lost in his personal life. He’s still very much involved in the lesbian community and isn’t sure how to take the plunge with the person he wants.
For me the cast of characters allows for a very grown up view of why people find each other. Rose explores romance, sex, family, friendships, guilt and grief in an in-depth manner whilst succeeding in not languishing unnecessarily in emotions. This keeps the book moving. The changing viewpoints throughout the narrative helps with this and keeps the book fresh.
It’s definitely more on the literary side and isn’t a quick read, but I would recommend to any queer fiction fans.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
LGBTQ+ Reader 