Monday, May 29, 2017

True Colors by Anyta Sunday


Oskar used to be Marco’s best friend. His everything. His sunshine yellow.

But that was before. Before Marco stopped being a hot jock. Before he learned to live with scars and pain. And before Oskar tore their friendship apart.

Now the boy next door has returned home, determined to rekindle his friendship with Marco, and Marco’s more afraid than ever. Afraid of getting hurt. Afraid of being humiliated.

Afraid of falling in love.

Can Oskar find a way through Marco’s fear, back into his heart?

True Colors is an enemies to lovers, boy next door, first time, slow burn M/M romance with a generous helping of UST. This no-cliffhanger, HEA book can be read as a standalone
.

Add to Goodreads –


Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~



Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica☆☆☆☆☆
5 Amazing Stars.

I don't know where to begin with my review, other than fangirl for several paragraphs. Anyone who reads my reviews knows I'm not a gushing type reviewer. True Colors hit every note I need in an emotionally gut-twisting read. I've always found something special with Anyta Sunday's writing. I'm not a huge rereader when it comes to contemporary romance, but now two of this author's books are added to that list: Rock and True Colors.

Marco is our narrator, telling us a story that bridges nearly a decade. At twelve, Marco's favorite person on earth is Oskar, his neighbor and best friend. A tragic event changes all of that, when guilt and shame take over Marco's life.

The beginning portion of True Colors sets up the entirety of the book, featuring scenes from when Marco is twelve and his mother is still alive, showcasing the making of the play that will be the foundation of everyone coming back together.

Marco feels betrayed over words Oskar voiced when they were teenagers. Having already lost his mother, and Oskar breaking his trust, Marco doesn't have the ability to allow people in. He has friends, but he keeps them at arm's length, never opening up. He's scarred from the tragedy that took his mother away, so he refuses to get close to guys, even for a biological need.

Returning home from college, Oskar is everywhere in Marco's life, refusing to back off, forcing Marco to deal with the past. Their meddling neighbor families refuse to allow the animosity to remain.

True Colors was sweet, heartfelt – real. The angst caused that gut-twisting sensation to happen to me over and over, a sensation I look for when reading a novel. I laughed, smiled, got teary-eyed, and felt utterly satisfied at the end of the novel.

True Colors was a beautiful story I plan on revisiting in the future... I see this is book two – I interrupt this gush-fest to go locate book one.


Sarah☆☆☆☆☆
This is a beautiful story. At its most simple, it is a very damaged young man’s coming of age story. It is also the story of the life-long relationship between two young men. At its most complex, this book explores grief and betrayal, intimacy and desire. It is a story about self, family, and community.

The writing is sparse. Marcus tells his story in a disjointed, non-linear series of memories and moments. The writer forces readers to pull Marcus’ story together for themselves – but we fully understand Marcus’ past at the very moment he starts to understand his present.

Even though Marcus is a university student, there is young adult feel to this story. He is still tied tightly to his family and his community. Incidents in his past have left him scarred, but they have also left him very innocent in many ways.

The author offers very little to create a sense of place. In many ways, the other characters provide the backdrop for this story of Marcus’ emotional growth. And the characters in this story are wonderful.

This book is a deliberate puzzle and it is almost impossible to discuss it without giving too much away. I loved it. I loved the unique writing style. I enjoyed the unconventional structure and I fell in love with so many of the characters. It is an honest story. The emotions in this book are raw and real. I know that this will tug at my heart and my mind for quite some time.


Avid Reader☆☆☆☆
M/M Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Hmm, this is a very emotional story. It really is about two boys' friendship and the trials and tribulations that come with growing up. Can you really trust your family? Community?

I loved the secondary characters because they helped shape the story between Marco and Oskar. This is a story that is told in stages. You have to be willing to put some of the pieces together – it's not told in a straight fashion, but rather flashback and pieces.

While I did enjoy the story, I did find that there was a lot of back and forth but without substance. There was a lot of talk, without saying too much.

This is a fairly straight forward story – friends, enemies, confused, friends. While there are some people in the story who are less than helpful to both Marco and Oskar, I think that the accepting characters more than make up for it.

You can't really say too much without giving the story away, but this was a coming of age, discovering what's important, forgiveness at its most basic form, and about learning to love yourself.



A born and raised New Zealander, Anyta Sunday has been exploring the literary world since she started reading Roald Dahl as a kid. Inspired, stories have been piling up in her head ever since. Fast forward to her mid-twenties and jump a few countries (Germany, America, and back again), and she started putting pen to paper. When she’s not writing or chasing her kids around, she’s reading, hiking, watching a Joss Whedon series, attempting Pilates, or curling up with her two cats.

Connect with Anyta

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads


https://www.netgalley.com


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of True Colors (True Love #2) by Anyta Sunday to read and review.

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