This book is exemplary. It can literally be held up as an actual example of what a romance novel should be. I am in awe. But before I wax lyrical about the many ways in which this book is excellent, let’s set the scene.

Simon and Charlie are co-stars on a sci-fi TV series and for the seven years that the show has been running, they’ve been fighting, squabbling, and disagreeing. Simon is considering leaving the show and there are (not unfounded) rumours in the industry that he is difficult on set. Charlie is worried about the same thing because before he went to rehab, he was a nightmare on set. So the two decide to try and spread the narrative that they get along in hopes of quashing the rumours. What follows is a little bit of plot, a lot of emotion and a megaton of me smiling at my book.

We only spend time looking at things from Simon’s POV. And Simon is a lot of things. Primarily, he feels he is a mess. He has quite a serious anxiety disorder with mild OCD. He’s also prone to hellish migraines. The insight we get into his perspective and daily life is a punch to the gut. For every word he says out loud, there are a million in his head. The writing is so evocative and visceral that I really felt what he was feeling. It’s a thoroughly fresh, insightful view of mental illness.

In this mutual truce they find themselves in, something magical happens for Simon when he’s around Charlie. He realises that after seven years of working together so closely, they really know each other well, and might even like each other. And after an incident with a connection of Charlie’s, a switch is flipped in Simon’s brain and he decides to make the honest choice when faced with diverging paths forward. This amounts to Simon blurting out his emotional truth and just hoping blindly that it’s okay that he does that. Every little stretch he makes towards Charlie, he is met by Charlie’s steady, consistent presence. It is so beautiful to read.

While narratively we live in Simon’s POV, there are hints as to how Charlie feels. For example, right at the beginning of the book, while they’re still at odds, Charlie notices that Simon has one of his migraines (Simon hasn’t said anything about it) and he insists on driving Simon home because he knows that Simon can’t drive when he’s like this. Turns out, this is not the first time that Charlie has done this. Charlie NOTICES things about Simon. While Simon is pretty ignorant of Charlie’s feelings, as a reader, we get TINY tidbits that hint that there’s more going on from Charlie’s perspective. But for the most part, Simon’s view fills the frame.

I cannot say enough great things about the writing. Here’s just one snippet of the kind of magic that’s woven with words:

There are years of irritations and grievances between them, built up like barnacles, a crust of ill will that makes it impossible to make out the shape of whatever’s underneath. Simon can start to see it, though, and wants to look away.

There is a tremendous amount of humour, too.

We have a strong opening paragraph:

Every day this week, the air conditioner on set has woken up and chosen violence. Simon is not prepared to work in tundra conditions. He isn’t built for Siberian gulags or ice fishing huts.

Or this:

They should have wrapped two hours ago. Lian, the showrunner, looks like she could light the entire set on fire using only her eyes. That would at least warm them up, so Simon’s all for it. He catches her eye and tries to silently communicate that arson is a valid choice right now.

And that’s just in the first part of the first chapter!

This is a story of two people falling in love with the person that knows them best – each other. And it was so gentle on this reader’s heart. I say this because …

There is so much to love about this book. The infinite, tender care that Simon and Charlie start to show for each other. The gradual deepening of emotional ties. The wild and messy way that big feelings of love are spoken and shown for each other. There was not a moment of this book that I was not smiling, squeezing my book in glee. Such vulnerability. Such insight. GLORIOUS.