REVIEW: 'Starting with the Unexpected' by Andi Van
Title: Starting with the Unexpected
Author: Andi Van
Published: May 15, 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 200 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Family Drama
About Starting with the Unexpected
Zachary Blaise is having a weird week—even by his standards. Though he's gay, the radio personality has been dumped via text by a girl named Marian—and he's never even met her. On top of that, he's developed a massive crush on Marcus, the new waiter at his favorite diner. His best friend thinks the whole thing is hilarious.
Marcus’s week hasn’t been his best either. He's been betrayed by those closest to him, and although he isn't the guilty party, Marcus is the one getting harassed.
Impossibly, things are about to get even weirder. Marian has secrets, and those secrets are going to make some serious ripples in Zach's life. When he discovers that the girl called Marian is actually the man named Marcus, Zach stumbles down a rabbit hole of abusive ex-boyfriends, psychotic relatives, and revelations from his own past. If he can survive the chaos, the journey might prove worth the effort.
5 HEART READ
REVIEW: Starting with the Unexpected is a quick, easy read full of depth and humour with some tension and an enjoyable tale.
Andi Van paints a vivid landscape with a setting so valid and characters so real I want to visit.
I got hooked within the first 10 pages and found myself stealing pages whenever I could to progress the story - often a sign of a well written book! Even with only 200 pages, I felt I belonged and could re-visit when needing somewhere familiar to be for a short time.
Zach and Marcus’s world is one with deep feelings and an uncertain edge. While Zach has a supportive family who accept him for who he is, Marcus can’t claim the same. In fact, Marcus has the family from hell - who seem intent on causing Marcus and Zach as much pain as possible.
You may find yourself screaming warnings at the pages as the unease grows and you suspect that something awful could happen - like I may have … maybe… *ahem*.
I enjoyed the blossoming love and raw emotions Andi Van’s writing drew from me and they are firmly on my top 10 author list.
Starting with the Unexpected was clever, witty and heartfelt. A great, quick read!
A copy of Starting with the Unexpected was purchased by the Contributor so that we might offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Looking for more from Andi Van?
Meet the Author
Andi Van is a foul-mouthed troublemaker who lives near San Diego with a small fluffy thing named Koi, a baseball bat that's forever being used for things other than baseball, and a fondness for rum and caffeine (though not necessarily together).
Andi is fluent in three languages (English, sarcasm, and profanity), and takes pride in a highly developed -- if somewhat bizarre -- sense of humor.
Andi's pronouns are they/them. They identify as nonbinary, and ask that you not misgender them. For more information about nonbinary gender identities, they recommend. http://nonbinary.org/wiki/Nonbinary
For more of Andi’s work be sure and visit their website.
