The Other Five Percent by Quinn Anderson
Genre: M/M Romance
Published Date: July 10, 2017
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Reviewed by Tracey
Blurb: Logan Vanderveer has a joke he’s been telling since college: he’s ninety-five percent straight. He did some experimenting in school, but none of the men he fooled around with inspired him to abandon “the plan”: meet a nice girl, get married, and settle down, just like his parents always said.
None of them except Ellis Floyd, who aroused desires and feelings that scared Logan. So much so that he abandoned their burgeoning relationship just as it might have become something. But four years later, Ellis is back, and Logan finds himself questioning his sexuality in a big way.
Ellis doesn’t fit into Logan’s plan. He’s happy being a starving artist, whereas Logan has sold his soul to corporate America. Ellis is ripped jeans, and Logan is tailored suits. And, most notably, Ellis is out. But seeing him again is dredging up memories—like how it feels to kiss Ellis, and that time they almost went all the way. With chemistry like theirs, Logan isn’t sure he can—or should—keep ignoring the other five percent.
All right. I want to talk about the good and bad parts of this book, and hopefully before I finish writing this review, I’ll think up some good parts. This is a very short novella, it is listed at 142 pages. Logan is your stereotypical suited, cubicle loving, briefcase carrying young man, and he spends the first 8 or 9 pages in the book whining about the line in the coffee shop. He is really just bland, uninteresting, and unlikable. He lives a bland life, in a bland apartment, and has no desire or ambition to climb any higher in his profession than maybe a corner office. He runs into an old college buddy/boyfriend at the coffeeshop…and turns around and runs. Ellis, his college best friend, follows him. This sets the pace for the whole book. The story is told entirely from Logan’s POV, but maybe it would have helped to have had a little of Ellis’s input, because Logan wasn’t a strong enough character to hold my interest. I liked his sisters, and I liked what little was seen of his co-worker, but not Logan.
Logan and Ellis were friends/boyfriends in college, but Logan didn’t consider it that kind of relationship. There was kissing, BJ’s and jacking off, just no full out sex. In fact, Logan can’t remember what happened between him and Ellis, they were friends…..and then, boom, they weren’t. He. Can’t. Remember. This was only four years ago, and he can’t remember. His best friend that he kissed, idolized, hung out with, jacked off with…and he can’t remember! Maybe, he would’ve blocked memories if he had been traumatized by something, but I think the fact that he ‘almost’ had sex with Ellis, probably wouldn’t compare to an event that would block your memory. This just doesn’t work for me. Ellis can remember, and at first he’s ok, then he gets angry, then he’s ok, then he’s angry. Why wasn’t he angry to begin with?
Ellis isn’t much more likable than Logan. He’s bland in his own way, and written a little like a gay cliché. He’s the hipster, artist type who doesn’t want to be tied down to a 9-5 job. He’s supposedly living his life just how he wants. Neither MC were interesting, and not much was done to develop the characters other than just surface personalities.
All of this book happened in slightly over a week. They went from Logan ghosting Ellis in college to HEA. This may be one of those books that just didn’t work for me, and it might work for you. I just can’t recommend it.
Grade: D
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