Thaw by Elyse Springer

Thaw by Elyse Springer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


mmphs, there's always all this kissing in Asexual romances. eww (they want to show intimacy, they don't want/enjoy sex, so . . . lots of kissing; I'd rather fuck than kiss, and I don't really wanna fuck...)


Series: Seasons of Love; Can you read this book without reading any other book in the series? Like I said about the other book I've read in this 4 book series - yes. Though there might be things you'd miss.

I've now read books 2 and 3 - both books include as characters (in level of importance in book 2): Abby (Abigail), Brie (Gabrielle), Nathan, Sara, Tony, Jason. Jason and Tony are barely in book 2; Jason is barely in book 3, though Tony plays a much larger role (at least compared to book 2). Sara stars in book 3; plays a much smaller role in book 2 than I'd have expected. Nathan is Abby's friend, and plays a large role in this book; and is Sara's friend and plays a large-ish role in book 3; Sara, herself, is also Abby's friend and is turned to a few times. Oh, forgot there was a very brief appearance by Laura - she stars in book 3; did Abby's make-up once as a favor in book 2. Brie stars in book 2 and is barely in book 3 (and by star, I mean love interest, this is all Abby's POV show). Abby stars in book 2, and is much less of a part of book 3 than might be expected. I believe I called her something like 'one of the barely seen friends' in my review for book 3. Wow, this paragraph is downright exciting.

Abby is 29 (just like Sara was 29 in book 3; I suspect that if I read book 1 and 4, the two stars there will be listed as being 29 . . . heh, maybe). She works in a library in Brooklyn, and lives in a shoebox apartment with a roommate named Jena. The book opens with her being slutted up, sorry, with her having massive layers of make-up slapped onto her face (by Sara the diner waitress/manager (her job wasn't mentioned in this book, beyond a brief 'stopped by Sara's diner' type mention), and then with a very much 'barely there' dress pulled from Sara's closet (which is vaguely amusing considering what is found in her closet when book three stars Sara - not exactly that type of clothing). Why is she getting all . . . . um, slicked up? As a favor for her friend Nathan who has to go to a charity gala and his rich boyfriend has a meeting or is out of town or something. And Nathan doesn’t want to go by himself. Though he barely pays attention to Abby at the actual party.

Abby, who has quite low self-esteem about her own looks, is hit upon by two people – a man, and a woman. Oddly enough, the man is Tony. Nathan had made some similar comments when he laid eyes upon the dressed up Abby, so when I realized that it was Tony who had approached Abby, I assumed it was something similar. Since Nathan is gay. And Tony spends most of book 3 looking for his ex-boyfriend Gee. Except . . . Tony is serious in his flirtation. Sooo, another bisexual. World be crowded with them. The woman? Gabrielle.

Everyone’s dressed up nicely at the party. Including Gabrielle. But the red number she’s wearing is super alluring and attention getting. She looks, as someone might say, ‘model hot’. Well, I said that that way so I can then say, which is fitting since Gabrielle works as a model. Abby’s eyes are on Gabrielle almost immediately upon seeing a flash of red at the corner of her eye. Of course, as is fitting (that word again!), Abby’s first view of Gabrielle is of her in an angry little argument with some man.

Later, near the end of the party, Gabrielle and Abby dance, and that angry man glares at them as they do. Reoccurring theme, that – angry man glaring at Gabrielle and Abby. He’s a massive dick, that Darren.

Right, so, Gabrielle and Abby flirt, date as the weeks unfold. Meanwhile Abby’s library branch faces possible closure. And, there are several (many?) scenes in which Abby voluntarily goes near her mother so her mother could scream at her and berate her for doing stupid stuff like get a library degree (you’ll only get to work a few years, a decade, with a degree like that!), and/or for allowing herself to be asexual.

Did I not mention that yet? I forget. So, yeah, Abby’s asexual, but not aromantic. She’s actually biromantic. Bioromantic. In love with biology. Pfft. I can’t recall how to spell the word that means that she is romantically interested in both men and women, while, at the same time, being quite uninterested in sex (that’d be the asexual part).

A quite interesting book. There’s an issue where one or the other would suddenly go silent on the other (though I think that’s more of a trick Abby pulls), which is kinda frustrating to read. Go silent as in ignore their texts and phone calls. For days. Or a week or more. Then there’s the issue where the massive ‘conflict point’ occurred, sadness all around and . . . I’m not really sure what exactly I witnessed. The word betrayal was batted around but . . . I’m not exactly sure how that word would ‘fit’ the circumstances of the conflict point. Bah, but never mind.

As noted, good, interesting book. Now if we can just get asexuals to stop slobbering all over each other in books . . ..

Rating: 4.12

July 14 2017



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