BANTER BUDDIES: A Dual View of Asta Idonea's 'Wish You Were Here'
Welcome to another Banter Buddies feature.
Today Annie and I share some of our thoughts about Asta Idonea's Wish You Were Here, as well as give you some of our favorite, touching moments. Our hope is you'll be inspired to pick it up and enjoy it as much as we did.
Don't forget to click on the links below to read our review recommendations of Wish You Were Here. Jay
Title: Wish You Were Here
Author: Asta Idonea
Published: February 8, 2017
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Genre: Contemporary Romance; New Adult
Length: 59 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Coming of Age, Angst: Light; Comfort/Hurt; Non-Explicit; Paranormal; Novelette
About Wish You Were Here
The death of Oakley’s sister has left his family broken and buried beneath their grief. In an attempt to get out from underneath their pain, they rent an isolated cottage in the Cotswolds. For Oakley, it’s an exercise in futility. He doesn’t see much hope for things to get back to the way they used to be, and he’s bored and restless as he waits out the time until he can return to the city and university. All of that changes when he meets local boy Bobby, and the connection between them is instant. Within a few days, Oakley is ready to walk away from everything to stay with Bobby. However, Bobby has problems of his own, and they might be more than the budding romance can survive. But they might also give Oakley a new perspective on his own situation.
Favorite main character:
Jay: "Bobby, with his quiet way and his sense of right and wrong that churns his internal struggles."
Annie: "I have to agree. Bobby is a man who thought to himself, 'morality was overrated.' His life provided multiple excuses to bend the rules. Yet he can’t help but protect the boy he loves, even at his own expense!"
Favorite secondary character:
Jay: "Oakley’s dad. His strength and desire to hold his family together after tragedy is a wonderful quality in a husband/father."
Annie: "Me too. Personally, if my daughter died, my son was sullenly withdrawn, and my spouse kept sobbing hysterically, I bet my rapier tongue would make them bleed. Oakely’s father wisely avoids either creating, or preventing the needed crisis. Instead, he tolerantly plots the next positive activity, showing his family that life still holds pleasure. Now that forbearance is real maturity!"
Favorite endearment:
Jay: "Bobby’s desire to protect Oakley at the sake of his own happiness tugged at my heart."
Annie: "For me I feel the book avoids endearments for the best of reasons. It’s unflinchingly unsentimental. This is why we believe its message of redemption."
Favorite scene:
Jay: "The ending when realization hits Oakley….can’t say anything more."
Annie: "The big confrontation scene begins perfectly, an argument over pork cutlets. I loved it, because we humans are irrational. I know a couple who divorced over whether the salt was in the pepper shaker. We never know our last straw!"
Favorite quote:
Jay: " I have two actually. Because of the message it delivers: 'Bobby was strong though—in here. She tapped her chest. He refused to budge. So his father tossed him out. He went to several homes asking for help, our own included. She wiped at a tear that escaped the corner of her eye. But everyone turned him away, terrified of a scandal and the possible repercussions.'
Then there's humorous with a hidden meaning: 'What kind of a name is Oakley? It’s short for Robert. A brief pause. After my father. Robert. Oakley grinned. I’d stick with Bobby, if I were you. Robert makes you sound old. It’s the sort of name you’d give some stuffy, middle-aged businessman. Bobby chuckled and relaxed against the tree. Well, I’ll never be a middle-aged businessman. I can promise you that.'”
Annie: "Check out my 4 heart read recommendation....I put it there." *winks*
Best revisit of a scene from another perspective:
Jay: "Again the ending when Oakley looks back upon his brief time with Bobby and the attraction and protection that both young men felt. Such a powerful message."
Annie: "There is a moment when Oakley’s world shifts, from seeing himself as victim, to empowered. In so doing, he admits his self-centerdness. 'It was as if he needed to shield Bobby from something. A sense that if he kept Bobby safe, he could fix his own problems. It was a selfish kind of protection, he supposed.' Wow! So much is conveyed in so few words!"
This book made me:
Jay: "Think twice about short stories. I usually avoid them because I typically feel rushed and that things were left incomplete. However, the 59 pages here depict a powerful and complete message."
Annie: "Re-read it, to see if it stood up after all was revealed. It was better the second time around. I can’t believe how much insight Asta crammed into 59 short pages!"
What type of reader would you recommend this book to?
Jay: "Anyone, it might be hard for someone who has recently experienced a loss to see the emotional pain but on the other hand it could be therapeutic."
Annie: "Everyone, but especially young adults dealing with grief and loss!"
For purchase links, excerpts, about the author, and more....visit our review recommendation links above.
