Every moment, Alexei’s brain filled with questions.
Starting with, Who are you and what is even happening?
Also: I have enjoyed staring at the backs of your calves. Did you know?
This was such a gorgeous and sweet love story. I was sucked in from the get-go and absolutely loved seeing Alexei and Ben fall in love. Both men came to the Pacific Crest Trail for different reasons but a little trail magic, and a rattlesnake, had their paths cross and it ultimately set them on a new path together. Alexei came to the PCT to deal with some very profound personal trauma, he intended to use the time on the trail to say goodbye to his old life and figure out what he wanted for this next chapter. He had done his research and had his plans and hiking with another person was not part of those plans. But from the moment he met Ben, he was drawn to him in a way that was entirely new for him. Ben was used to making poor decisions when it came to men and jumping in head first but the way he was drawn to Alexei felt new for him too. Their first few interactions were adorable and I loved how they formed a tentative friendship that blossomed into something really lovely as they created their own little trail family.
Ben was just the sweetest, he was so happy and friendly and it was easy to see what drew Alexei in. Alexei had lived a very sheltered life and was dealing with some pretty heavy stuff so he wasn’t always sure how to handle Ben but Ben had a way of settling Alexei and I think Alexei had the same effect on Ben. They were just so sweet together. I loved seeing Alexei become comfortable enough to let his guard down and become open to experiencing new things. They both had really great personal journeys but Alexei’s, in particular, was really lovely.
Ben knew he had felt lots of foolish things over the years, especially when it came to attractive men.
But he was pretty certain, right then, that he’d never felt so lovesick in his life.
This book dealt with some pretty heavy topics, I don’t want to spoil anything, but I thought they were handled with such care. There is a fair amount of angst stemming from this, you may want to have some tissue handy. There is one section of the book that contains letters written by both Alexei and Ben and this portion is equally beautiful and absolutely heart-wrenching. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. I highlighted so much from those chapters. The ending of the book was also great, undoubtedly worth the heartache leading up to it. I’m so glad I finally got around to reading this book, it’s not one I’ll soon forget!
Alexei was a butterfly, just emerging from his chrysalis, and he was showing Ben his wings. Ben couldn’t turn away from that.
The Book Boyfriend Addict 