Rock by Anyta Sunday

Blurb: Igneous.

When Cooper’s parents divorce, he finds himself landed in Week About—one week with his mum and one week with his dad.
Only, it’s not just his dad he has to live with. There’s Lila, too: The other woman, the one who stole the rock-solid foundation of his life.

And then …

There’s Jace. Lila’s son. Lila’s smug, regurgitated-fish-scale-blue eyed son.

All Cooper wants is to have his family back the way it once was, but there’s something about this boy that promises things will never be the same again.

Sedimentary.

Resisting the realities of his new life, Cooper and Jace get off to a rocky start. But rocky start or not, after hundreds of shared memories together, they forge something new. A close … friendship.

Because friendship is all they can have. Although it’s not like they are real brothers…

Metamorphic.

But how does that friendship evolve under the pressures of life?
Under pressures of the heart?

4 Stars ~I’m a huge fan of Anyta Sunday so its no secret I was gonna love this book too.

This story took quite a bit of time to get to where it was going.  And I felt the climax was a but overdone.  But the love story was incredibly intense and deep.

I totally identified with Cooper’s reaction to his parents divorce.  I was thrown back in time feeling all those overwhelming emotions. I really got caught up in it in the beginning. But I never really understood his instant dislike of Jace in the beginning.  Nor did I understand how he didn’t know how Jace felt about him when they were younger.

This story takes place over many years so the background was a good half of the book. Honestly, I could have done without so much of it and I still would have been able identify with the characters.

Cooper used rocks as a way to ground himself when things got out of control for him. I really liked that.  He would be able to choose a rock and remember what memory it held or what he felt at the time he picked it.  A cool tangible way to recall memories.  He had a hard time with confidence and becoming comfortable in his own skin.  I think it helped that his HS friends really just rolled with the punch’s when it came to his sexuality.

Jace was a bit odd to me.  Sometimes they were so in sync that he was able to read Cooper’s mind but then others they were so far apart it was almost like, “What do they even have in common besides sharing a family?”  I think Jace overthought his feelings and couldn’t get past what some people would think.  I didn’t like him when he was in college. I felt he wasted time and allowed fear to get in the way of what could have been a great experience.

Then I think they each had to go it alone for a while because that’s what growing up is all about. Taking the journey.  So then my mind went all abstract on me and I understood why Jace was so withdrawn.

Honestly, I could go on and on about the nuances of this book!  Just, go read it!