Fangtasia's Reviews > Rescue Me

In my years reading M/M Romance, I've gathered that the majority of its readers are women. Still, it has been demonstrated that it is also read by young men who are either questioning their sexuality, or are in the process of discovering/accepting they are bisexual or gay. It's been said that the books in this genre can provide a frame of reference for these men, giving them some form of validation and hope.

With that in mind, I direct this part of my review to those young men in particular: Please, do NOT read this book and think that this is an acceptable example of a romantic relationship. The relationship between the main characters in this book is nothing but an example of typical domestic violence and co-dependence. There are no healthy interactions between them. At all. Neither is there any positive influence from the friendships Matt supposedly has.

There are many other books in the genre which can provide that which you are searching for. I can recommend Something Like Summer, Bear, Otter, and the Kid, Shattered Glass, among others.

Now, for the actual book review. Beyond my disgust with this story being presented as a romance, I had several issues with the characters, plot, and the writing itself. I'll enclose in spoiler tags because there's no way I can say what I need to say without spoiling the story. Click at your own peril.

(view spoiler)[This story had me confused from page 1. The inconsistencies succeeded each other so quickly that I could never actually figure out what was going on. For example:
*Joel is the first one to bring up Matt's homophobic tendencies, asking how come he was willing to let himself be bathed in bed by a f**. A couple of pages later, Joel is confessing to Matt that he has had sex with men, saying he goes for men when he wants it "quick, hard, and dirty." WTF? O_o
*When Nick leaves Lewis immediately after their first sex scene, Matt calls Nick and insults him. Yet Matt does the same exact thing to James. Again, WFT?
*Matt is homophobic, and an irredeemable asshole. He does not have, as James once said, one single redeeming quality, except for being "hot." Yet James says, in the latter part of the story, that he has always known Matt is a warm, caring person. How did he arrive at this conclusion? When did Matt show any of this? What did I miss?
*James is a floor mat. How does he not recognize that Matt is a bully? How can he be a nurse and not recognize that he himself is a victim of domestic violence? How can he not run, stamping the back of his head with the soles of his Nike, when Matt tells him "I'll kill you, so nobody else can have you?"

As for the plot, it is nothing but repetition of the same thing over, and over, and over: They fuck, Matt cums, he tells James he's not gay, hurls insults at James, and runs away. Matt is an asshole to all those around him, but to James in particular, he is horrendous. James takes it. His friends take it. Always. And yes, I understand Matt had a difficult childhood, and some really bad breaks with his parents, but nothing that can justify his behavior as an adult. I even thought, as the book progressed, we'd learn about worse stuff in his past that might put some of his actions in perspective, and maybe even justify his friends' loyalty to him. Alas, no. It's his party, and he'll be an asshole because he wants to. Everyone else seems to be okay with his assholishness and want to take his shit. Whatever.

Last, a couple of issues with the writing: I have a BIG problem with the repeated use of the f-word in this book. Also, the story is set in the US, California to be exact. Yet it's clear the author is either British or something like it. For example, the use of "tyre" instead of "tire." There was one particular instance which confirmed it, in a scene where Matt arrives in NY and James is waiting for him "as he gets out of Customs." This is a domestic flight. No Customs in domestic flights. Clearly, a lack of research or even a good beta. (hide spoiler)]

The only acceptable part of this experience was that I got the book free-of-charge. Not recommended.