I requested this book when I read about the blurb and the cultural topic. As a fan of the Japanese culture I think it is pretty interesting to read books with an asian main character and I have to say the way how Max C. Payne combined Sei’s family traditions & the customs with the topic of having another main character who is dyslexic was well done.

The book is a pretty nice slow burn romance, the relationship between Sei and Jay builds up from friendship to more. And I liked the pace pretty much. If you expect rushed events you won’t get them and the way how it was written came a bit YA-ish, but I liked this also. The topic about the dyslexia was well described, you never had the feeling that Jay was a poor soul, although he is suffering from his (learning) disability. He isn’t surrounded by many people, he shies from them, but isn’t an introvert per se. He just need to feel secure and with Sei he gets this.

The way how both guys meet and how soon they bond it pretty fast and maybe weird for some reader. It’s like an insta-bond and Jay is – and the reader along with him – surrounded by Sei’s family, the customs and learns about a new, foreign culture. The way how the learning of the language for Jay is combined with the dyslexia topic was well solved I think, it gaves the author the possibility to create a reliable foundation for the upcoming events, a solid structure for their relationship.

The topic of Jay being a forster kid and Sei dealing with his own family issues & new settings is another part of the book I liked and iI think it was believable told by the author. There is a certain air of loss around Jay, although he has a loving forster family he can’t help himself to seperate from them. But at the end, he values what he has. And that’s pretty touching.
Sei is dealing with his own problems, although there aren’t any real one, it’s more he is trying to find his home in a foreign country and although both guys are pretty different their search for a home, a family, a bond is quite similar.

I recommend this if you want a light read, love diverse character, especially an asian representation. I also have to say it never felt like a fetishisation of a character from another culture. In fact as I said the way how Sei was explaining Jay and with it the author to the reader, it was well and pleasantly done. 🙂
It is a perfect story also for a gay romance rookie, or in general someone who likes the lighter stories without much sex, although the part at the end was pretty hot but yet innocent in a way. 🙂

Review originally posted on my blog with added content on Mikku-chan / A world full of words

Kindred souls is my first title by Max Payne, and I really enjoyed it. This was a very sweet story. Jay is a foster kid who is basically a fly on the wall. One day, Sei who has noticed Jay many times finally speaks to Jay which kicks off their relationship.

Kindred Souls is one of those really sweet and innocent stories where the two characters happen to be male (although it was done deliberately). They are both in high school and summer school courses bring them together in a way they probably would never have any other way. Sei is a very charming and popular Japanese student. His world is very much in the spotlight, a place Jay does not want to be. However, when they are at Sei's house there's a sense of quiet and intimacy that they can only get there which is where we see what their relationship is really like.

The story is short (hard to tell on Kindle sometimes), but a lot of it seems rushed. For example, when Sei takes Jay to Japan. That easily could have been longer and more detailed as a way to deepen the development of their relationship, which it did in some cases, but that was at the end of the book practically when it should have been more to the beginning/ middle of the book. For a book that's so much a slow burn I feel like it should have been longer, I wanted it to be longer.

At the end of the story is when the relationship develops to something more intimate and romantic. It was so short and abrupt that I couldn't give this a 5 star. I really hope this progress into a series or at least there's a book two, or something. There needs to be.

*This is a review of an ARC provided via Netgalley*

First off it’s a VERY short book, the kind you could finish while waiting in the doctor’s office – though that probably says more about how long they make you wait than the length of the book. Still it’s an incredibly quick read so there really isn’t a good reason to not give it a shot.

Right off something about the pace feel frantic, it’s first person POV so you’re getting the story from the main character (Jay) who we’ve been told up front has dyslexia. It’s quite possible the author wrote the pace and narration feeling like this in order to capture something of the character’s personality and put you in that frame of mind to better understand their world. It kind of reminded me of my husband who has ADD, that fast, all over the place way he has a tendency of talking when he can’t focus. I’m NOT saying ADD and Dyslexia are the same thing, I’m simply remarking on how it feels to me through my personal experience.

Jay comes off like a sweet kid who has had a hard life, he’s been in the foster system and his dyslexia overlooked until he hit high school. Instead of realizing there was more to him he was simply pushed around the system and treated as if he was unintelligent until his current foster mom recognized his challenge for what it truly was and not stupidity or laziness. This has affected his confidence and despite the help he has gotten with his learning challenges his home life is still less than adequate causing him to shuffle around to kill time so he doesn’t upset the delicate balance where he lives.

His new friend Sei, the Japanese transfer student, has his own issues that have molded him into a caring person. He never knew his father as a young child, his mother died so he was left in the care of relatives until his father was found and moved him to America where he now lives with him, a step-mother and half siblings. He feels homesick and unsure of his place much like Jay.

You are treated to a lot of details that almost feel overwhelming for someone who doesn’t multi-task on this level. As another character is introduced, a Japanese transfer student we’re told, his dialogue flows very smoothly and conversationally while Jay’s continued at this stilted off pace so I’m really thinking the way the narration is written is to encapsulate Jay’s personality. As there is very little dialogue between characters, or at least it feels that way due to all the narration, I felt a bit overcome at times trying to keep all the facts and details straight simply because the narration is so energizer bunny like.

A fun aspect of the book is all the Japanese culture you get inundated with like learning about Obon the custom to honor ancestors, some tidbits on Manga, and a rundown on the Japanese characters which are obviously different than the written English alphabet. Although reading about all the food was making me hungry!

The romance between Jay and Sei is extremely subtle and nearly 90% of the book is over before anything happens that makes you truly realize there is something romantic between them; though Jay lets on his feelings a little earlier.

Jay’s dyslexia is used in a pretty neat way when he is able to help people thanks to his artistic side. As a parent of daughters on the spectrum I loved seeing a character who has a challenge shown they are more than that and that they have something great to offer the world. Too often those who aren’t neurotypical are pushed off to the side as if they are only their challenge and they can’t contribute when the truth is far richer.