You & I, Rewritten

A Novel

De: Chip Pons

Narrado por: Kai Rubio

Not to jinx it or anything, but the stars seem to finally be aligning for Will Cowen. After accepting a dream promotion at one of New York City's most renowned publishing houses and moving in with his oldest friend, he's ready to dive headfirst into this new chapter—that is, until he crosses paths with Graham Austin.

No matter how hard he tries, he can't help but put the wrong foot forward in front of the all-business and inconveniently gorgeous heir to the publishing empire.

So, when a heartbreakingly beautiful manuscript lands on his desk, Will seizes the opportunity for a win.

Will's confidence is obliterated when the author ghosts him at an important publishing event. He finds himself in need of comfort, which comes from the least likely person, the normally cold and distant Graham. This small glimpse behind Graham's icy exterior is the spark that sweeps these two up in an epic and unforeseen romance.

As his author's manuscript begins to take shape, the words that initially brought them together become more and more tangled, making it painfully obvious to Will that despite your best efforts, there is truly no hiding from the past.

But can it be rewritten?

Contains mature themes.

©2022 Chip Pons (P)2022 Tantor

Love it

Middle was a little bit too cheesy but ending just killed me. I was crying. It resonated with me so much. Thank you.

Good book that is deeper than expected

I wasn't sure I would be able to stick with this book, but I'm glad I did.
I thought I was getting a steamy office romance where one character spends half the book redeeming himself. Totally not that. Solid read and a portrayal of a guy couple readers can relate to.

Made me cry a few times

Was not expecting to cry several times towards the end. So many surprise plot lines i was not expecting. Will look for more books by this author.

Office Romance & Familial Wounds

If you like ENEMIES TO LOVERS, OFFICE ROMANCE, DATING THE BOSS, and PRINCE and PAUPER vibes, pick this up. But be warned - the feels are REAL.

A charming queer romcom about the hazards of falling in love, the risks we take when trusting someone with our heart, and the friends who get us through life's darkest days. Will was sweet and unapologetically himself. His loving relationship with his parents (mom and step dad) was so wholesome! The complexity of his relationship with his birth father throughout the book was heart wrenching and incredibly well-written. (as a child of a similar parent whom I have forgiven, this was particularly emotional for me).

Graham is aloof, logical, and incredibly focused on work, until Will stumbles headfirst into his life. As we slowly get to peek behind the curtain of the straight-laced and all business man set to inherit his father's publishing company, his own difficult past comes to light - I related wholeheartedly to his struggles to be the perfect child and not add to his parents burdens.

Watching Will and Graham work through each of their familial wounds and learn to help each other carry those burdens was an honor and a joy.

Love

Amazing story , I loved the way Greg was there for him 24/7 and every time they would go through things that it would be together and I love how loving he was the hole time

A book with lots and lots of feels. Lots.

While this falls under the category MM romance, do not think Sarina Bowen or Lauren Blakely or even Daryl Banner (to compare another male author). This is more the direction of Alexis Hall or Andie Burke. Less on the languid physical descriptions and drawn out erotic passages, instead delving into the story and emotion. And emotion is key to this story.

I thought I knew Kai Rubio's work but turns out this is my first listen. There is a lot to like, clear and crisp diction, he does a fabulous turn at Spanish, and moves between a broad range of characters with ease. I want to hear more from Kai. Where I had some trouble in this book is the how sing-song Will was, when he was not an emotional wreck. The were a few times when he veered toward Joel Leslie, someone who has some pluses, but the vocal histrionics become like nails on a chalkboard. I think Kai offered a sincere interpretation of Will as written, even though for me personally, I would have appreciated a slightly more nuanced approach. Also, if I hadn't read the synopsis a second time, I would have continued thinking Will's surname was Cohen, not Cowen.

I am always eager to hear from a new voice in MM, especially when it's a male writer. Elements of this story are probably very personal to Pons. The romance aspect in some ways is secondary to Will's relationship with his inner monologue. Graham is kind of wheeled in as needed, while Will seemingly pinballs his way from worry to panic to insecurity. When we finally get Will's full story, that thing that is referred to, it isn't what I was expecting. As it unfolds, it initially feels a bit underwhelming for the lifelong impact. Later, we get a glimpse behind Graham's perfectly controlled facade, he revelation to Will shows that we all have experienced feelings of loss or insecurity. What is so crazy, is that later Will tries to say that he didn't have the same kind of support Graham did from his family. This runs counter to everything we learn about Will and his relationship with his parents which is warm and fuzzy, and what Graham explains was his upbringing - a bit distant and focused elsewhere.

Later, as Will's world goes off kilter, we do have some unexpected moments, as well as some very surprising twists. The emotions run very high (some of what I mentioned regarding the narration) and things get the tiniest bit repetitive. Through all this, Graham, and friend Claire remain pillars for Will.

Overall, this is a fine book, I rounded up to four stars for not putting us through unnecessary relationship drama when there is enough emotional drama. If I could have been the editor, the book would have been fifty pages shorter, made sure some key plot elements later in the book didn't feel as if they came out of no where when it became such a focus, and I would have insisted on more Graham in key moments, well, just more of him in general. This is a book you should invest in, it has a flow and distinct point of view that is worthy of your time. Recommended.

Graham is a true gem

This book really did yank every string in my heart towards the end of the book and I have to honestly say I’m totally in love with Graham as a character, and that would be the ideal person of a lifetime to be matched with and to be in love with.

such a wonderful story

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started the book. It was recommended to me after finishing yet another gay romance, rom/com, coming of age young love story that I’ve been tearing through as a roundabout form of therapy

The main character is great. He’s warm and anxious, which I relate to closely. I was surprised throughout the book that the relationship wasn’t actually going to be the main arc of the story. It’s refreshing to be honest - especially when the two characters are great together and otherwise can avoid unnecessary drama for the sake of the penultimate climax of the narrative

I was dumbstruck with how the book flipped on its head in the end. It all fits and makes sense, but the reveal is nothing short of heartbreaking. Honest to good had me tearing up. I don’t have quite the same loved experiences as the main character, but I know what it’s like to have a father totally in the grips of ptsd and unknowing taking it out on others. While the relationship with my own father has healed and we are great now, the elements of it especially seeing it without context as a child really had the main character’s feelings and anger resonate closely with my own.

Graham is a peach. He is obviously 100% a fictional perfect boyfriend, but I’m certainly not complaining, especially during some of the spicier moments haha

All in all. I really enjoyed this book. It’s not a long read, but the writing is solid and it tells a really unique story in the genre. Highly recommend.

Big bowl of everything

It surprised me how many topics the book touched. It was a wild roller-coaster.

Finally a romance!

We have it here folks! A romance where we see the couple start dating, get together and we see the actual progress of their romantic relationship! Instead of that annoying let’s fight our feelings and be scared about them for 80% of the book so the reader only sees the couple completely happy together at the end. This one is so good because they go through everything together like what a serious romantic partner should do. This was a refreshing book. I was so scared the author would follow the typical tropes but they didn’t and now I must go and recommend this to others!