Pretend You're Safe

This book is so good! I don't understand how I never heard of it. I just sort of stumbled on it today and decided to listen to it on a whim. It's a new favorite for me, a very sweet, slow, and quiet romance.

It takes place in the real world, but it has the feel of a fairy tale, with some details left unexplored. But it isn't lacking anything. The almost dreamlike tone of the book works very well.

The cover is nice, but it doesn't really fit the story. Although the characters work at a government agency, this isn't a political thriller at all. Arthur and Martin get to know each other very slowly, and then Arthur has to deal with a death in his family, with Martin at his side. mild spoiler They get separated near the end of the book, and then there is a reunion and some serious hurt/comfort.

Martin is asexual, and Arthur, the point-of-view character, decides that he is demisexual over the course of the story. I really believe in their happy ending, although this is a book that would've benefited from a short epilogue.

I loved this, and I'm excited to have discovered an author who is new to me.