But I appreciated that he would still call Henry out when he needed to. While Henry had a lot of self-esteem issues, thanks to a crappy ex and some body image issues, Reed only wanted to build him up and make him feel good about himself. They were both completely relatable, and I loved how they interacted. Filterless wit and self-deprecating sarcasm that I identified with a little too much! And Reed was the sweetest, kindest man. I have a list of LGBTQ romances, too.Henry was perfect. Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful or my streamlined recommendations list. Most of her novels are about gay couples and I sincerely hope they follow the same path as The Weight of It All by avoiding the LGBTQ “gay for you”romance trope in which a story element is the exploration of sexual orientation as opposed to just two people falling in love. Walker has a large back catalogue, so I have already downloaded several more free e-books and, depending on how those go, I will be glad to make my way through her published works.

It’s a lovely story and it made me excited in a fluttery and goofy way for Henry and Reed when things went well and that is something I look for in the romance novels and don’t often get. Given that it’s a genre with strictly prescribed outcomes, it’s safe to say that nothing ever is, but conveying a sense of urgency in the story is part of the writer’s obligation, but even that sounds far more critical than I mean it to. I have no real complaints about The Weight of It All other than that it didn’t really feel like anything was at stake. The supporting players were strong and I appreciated that they represented parallels in the men’s lives. Both he and Reed just want to be seen and accepted for their true selves. Reed appreciates him and is able to play along as he quietly pursues Henry and waits for him to notice. Henry is very funny and self-deprecating in that way all those of us who don’t have the best filters have learned to be. Assigned Reed Henske as his personal trainer, and motivational Thor, the two men instantly hit it off and proceed in an orderly and realistic manner towards a loving, long-term relationship. In this contemporary romance set in Sydney Australia, two sweet people fall in love in a funny and engaging romance short on drama and long on kindness.įreshly dumped and taking his ex’s parting salvo of “old and fat” to heart, Henry Beckett and picks himself up and ventures to the local gym to see what he can do about the jerk’s evaluation. It was wonderfully simple and just plain nice. The Weight of It All was one of those quietly enjoyable reads that are hard to review.

The weight of it all nr walker