This was a quick and easy read but that's all good I can say about this book. I didn't like the main character. I didn't like the love interest. I didn't like the romance. I hated the love triangle. The plot felt ripped of from a bad wattpad book. Needless to say I didn't like this.

3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review (even though I’m a month late in reading it 🙈)

Look at this cover. Isn’t it beautiful? I think we all know why I wanted to read this one so badly.

For those of you who don’t know, those are the Bi-Pride flag colors slapped all over the cover of this book. It is truly twenty bi-teen out here.

Sinter Blackwell is a 25 year old actor living in London when he realizes he just might sort of have feelings for his childhood best friend, Andy, who happens to be out and proud. But he also has a sort of flirtatious relationship going on with the director of the movie that he’s in. Trying to grapple with his newfound bicuriosity and sort through his feelings, Sinter is also dealing with a toxic relationship with his parents and struggling to stay afloat.

I think there was a lot of things done well in this book but also quite a few things that weren’t.

I love seeing characters having self realizations in regards to their sexuality when they are adults. Not everyone has it all figured out at 16 and all stories are valid. I think if you are someone who grew up loving New Age music and pop culture or if you were one of the outcast type kids in school, you’ll really relate to Sinter. The actual romance scenes were really nice and feel good and I really loved Andy’s character in the first half of the book.

What I didn’t like was how the first half of the book and the second half felt really disjointed, almost like they were two separate novels. I also think that Andy was sort of being a turd and harmful when pressuring Sinter to come out, and that was never really addressed. I personally found Sinter’s personality to be a little over the top with the eyeliner and temporary tattoos but that’s just me.

I also felt like the last chapter should’ve been more of an epilogue but that’s just me nitpicking.

Overall I think this story was just okay, but I am loving all of the representation lately.

TW: homophobia, medically induced coma as a result of a car crash

Beautiful story. I wish this felt more like an adult novel rather than a YA however. That somewhat annoyed me. But, overall I loved this coming out story. I was in tears part of the story as it really hit me hard.

All the Better Part of Me was an immensely enjoyable read. Sinter is an amazingly relatable character who's clearly trying to navigate his newfound sexuality throughout the trials of filming a movie, moving coutries, and falling for his best friend Andy. I found the characters all had something special that made me want to learn more about them and empathize with them on their journey.

The storyline had a lot of different facets and twists. At points during my reading I thought "there is SO MUCH happening in this book" but luckily that did not pull me out of my enjoyment too much. I really enjoyed the LGBTQ rep this book boasted as well as it's approach to dealing with bigotry and pushback.

The pregnancy bit with Fiona certainly raised the stakes in the story and was necessary, I think, to drive the plotline but it's not something I'm usually a sucker for. That being said the part where Sinter first holds Verona it's SO WHOLESOME.

I am so glad I stuck with this book. I was pretty much ready to give up on it at any point during the first half. It´s not like I didn´t like the characters, it was more that I didn´t feel like there was anything to them. They were lacking depth and so was the book in my opinion.

Sinter´s and Andy´s texting sounded like they were teenagers and nothing like 25-year olds and I didn´t particularly feel there was a deep connection between them at that point. The way the story is narrated sounds forced and nothing really happened besides Sinter wondering whether he should or should not embrace his new found interest for his gay best friend.

What I found very unnerving was that there was no mentioning of Sinter worrying whether experimenting, I think that´s what he called it, might have an impact on his and Andy´s friendship. If you´re not sure if you really have feelings for your best friend, who may have been in love with you for a really long time, would you really want to experiment with him/her to figure it out? Many friendships have fallen apart because of this kind of thing and people don´t embark on this lightly. And no, there´s no talk of him being in love with Andy when their relationship becomes sexual. He simply says he´d like to see what it´s like and Andy says he´s happy to be of assistance.

Anyway, enough of the criticism as I really enjoyed the second half of the book. Something happens that Sinter deals with brilliantly, in my opinion, and he also begins to stand up for himself, like the responsible adult I´ve been willing him to be since the beginning of the book.

There were many characters in the book I loved and enjoyed, some in very surprising places, like a conservative grandfather`s birthday party, albeit them being a bit too forthright, others more obvious, like Andy´s family or Sinter´s friends. I also liked Fiona´s character because she didn´t behave like society would expect her to behave, which is something I appreciate.

I'm going to start off by saying I LOVED Sinter and the fact that he starts to question his sexuality at a later age than what is normally shown! I think this is the first book that I've ever seen this in. It's either when they're teenagers/Young adults (18-19) so that was very appealing.

But I have a few issues;
- The pressure of coming out, it was asked multiple times and I think today the whole "coming out" should always be down to the person when they feel ready it may take them a while, they may never come out (as sad as that is) it is still their choice.
- As Sinter is Bi it just feels like he kind of has to validate it? When that shouldn't be the case at all, if you're Bi you like Men and Women why do they need to prove it?
- At times it kind of felt like what should we do here, in the sense it was one bad thing after the other

Some things that are giving this brownie points;
- Super easy to read
- The interactions of the characters
- The characters!

Overall I found this to be okay, I wouldn't re-read this as some of this was a bit iffy to me but the layout I did enjoy!

Sinter has feelings for his director, Fiona, but he is also coming to realise that he might have feelings for his best friend, Andy.

I loved the journey that Ringle takes us on as Sinter comes to terms with his sexuality and starts to explore where these feelings might take him. Like all good romances, the path to happily ever after is bound to have some speed bumps and Sinter's is no different!

The romance of the book is relateable, cute, and basically feels perfect and I couldn't get enough!

When the book concludes, everything is really well resolved but that didn't stop the feeling of loss and having no more of Sinter's story to enjoy. I hope to hear more about Sinter in future.

I love a good friends to lovers story. It's one of my favorite tropes. All the Better Part of Me tells the story of Sinter and Andy who have been best friends forever. Molly Ringle's depiction of their friendship from the early days of the two friends being attached at the hip to the growing attraction and flirting makes the friendship come alive. I truly believed from first to last page that these characters truly love each other and are willing to do anything they can to be together.

I loved watching their relationship progress and the moment when Sinter finally confesses that the flirting he's been doing with Andy over text messages was *actually* flirting and not just messing around was one of the sweetest moments of the book for me. The uncertainty of waiting for your love interest, not to mention your best friend as a love interest, to respond to your text and watching the message bubbles appear, disappear, and return again is such a common and nerve-wracking experience.

I especially loved when Any came to Sinter's defense when Sinter's parents were being particularly cruel and dismissive of their son. Andy's behavior is all he more sweet when we learn that he is angry and disappointed in his best friend and lover. But he still stands up for the man he loves, regardless. Their relationship is rock solid.

I think where this book lost me, though, is the conflict around the baby. I'm not a huge fan of baby books, so it was hard for me to care about that aspect of the book. Although it was written well, and I did come to empathize a little.

I absolutely love this story, told in the voice of the main character, Sinter Blackwell. An actor, from the US, Sinter is currently living in the UK. The story starts with Sinter being in the right place at the right time. Normally a stage actor in the theatre, he lands a chance to audition for a lead part in a film.

Sinter's long time best friend, Andy, lives in Seattle. When Sinter contacts him with his news he finds out that Andy's boyfriend just left him. This brings up old memories for Sinter and shines a light on feelings he has for Andy. Sinter soon realises he is curious about experimenting with a man, specifically his newly single best friend Andy.

This story follows Sinter's journey when, in his 20s, he realises that he might actually be bisexual - something he has never allowed himself to consider before now. This choice was definitely impacted by his parent's clear disapproval of such things.

When Sinter decides to admit his feelings of curiosity to Andy, he is excited to learn that Andy is enthusiastic about him coming to Seattle to spend some time with him and explore whether his bi-curiosity is anything more.

What Sinter doesn't foresee is the moment when everything in his life suddenly becomes much more complicated than he ever imagined possible.

I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read that quickly had me invested in the characters and rooting for a happy end.

4.5/5 Stars

Sinter Blackwell is in London learning about himself. What he likes, what he wants, who he wants... And through this process he ends up following his gut and moving back to the states to live with his childhood best friend, Andy. While with Andy, he becomes more comfortable in the sexuality he identifies with and hears some intense news from London that make his life with Andy instantly more complicated.

I think this book did a great job of showing that any story that has been told about cishets, is far more engaging and emotional when it is about queer people. I cried, that doesn't happen often. I felt so transparently what Sinter was feeling and the relationship with his family was all too cruelly believable. I want all angsty romance lovers to read this. I want them to fall in love with this like I did.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing & Netgalley for providing the arc copy for review.

The synopsis & preview chapters instantly hooked me, however, not much farther into the novel I found myself too frustrated to continue & DNF’ed it at 43%. Personally I didn’t like that tough topics were handled so lightly. Not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of All the Better Part of Me by Molly Ringle. I've voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All The Better Part of Me is a story about Sinter Blackwell, who is trying to make it as an actor in London. His best friend Andy lives in Seattle and they speak daily via text. Sinter is questioning his sexuality and is beginning to realise that he has feelings for Andy. The story follows Sinter as he's trying to figure out what he wants from his life.

All the Better Part of Me is a quick and cute read. It explores themes as sexuality, acceptance, friendship, career hardships and personal relationships. At times the story really intrigued me, but the middle dragged a bit and lost my attention. I didn't connect as much to the characters as I would've liked. I did enjoy the ending, even though it felt a bit predictable.

I give All the Better Part of Me by Molly Ringle 3 stars.

I received this eArc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book with high expectations and was ultimately underwhelmed. I was excited to read a book with bi characters but found them flat. The pacing felt off and too fast that it made it hard to connect to the story or the characters.

I was also uncomfortable with the way some queer relationships were portrayed, specifically ultimatums to come out of the closet. I wanted to like this book because I’m always searching for books with queer representation but this felt like someone’s idea of queer people rather than true representation.

Some aspects of the book were still entertaining, such as the text messages snippets. I didn’t hate it, but probably wouldn’t recommend it and will forget about it soon.

A delightful take on someone coming into their own as a bisexual person. a heartwarming story of friends and loves and how sometimes someone can be both.

All the Better Part of Me was a rather heartwarming read. Witnessing Sinter figure out his sexuality and deal with the repercussions was compelling even if I did get frustrated with him at times. He was, in all honesty, doing the best he could given the "tools" he had.

Highlights:

*Characters
Sinter immediately captivated me. His love of 80's music, Shakespeare, and emo-style of dressing felt familiar and comfortable. And his career as an actor made his flair for the dramatic realistic. I adored Sinter's best friend, Andy. He was such a perfect fit for Sinter...understanding, supportive, all the things a best friend should be.
The supporting cast was pretty great as well. From Fiona and Sebastian to Daniel and Julie - even Sinter's parents (who I wanted to throat punch often) - they all combined to add depth to the story.

*Romance
When Andy, who is gay, finds himself single, Sinter has to begin examining the thoughts and feelings he's having toward him. Sinter decides to move from London to Seattle, where Andy lives, they come up with an arrangement to enable Sinter to explore his sexuality. It was apparent to me, as the reader, that a meaningful romantic relationship was developing between them but it took longer for Sinter and Andy to figure it out.

*Character Growth
Sinter showed the most emotional growth and maturity over the course of the story. His upbringing in a very conservative family meant he'd naturally have issues coming to terms with his true self. His family was homophobic and didn't like Sinter's way of dressing or his profession making it fairly certain they wouldn't be accepting were Sinter to embrace this facet of his sexuality. While I admit to being frustrated with his inability to come out, I also sympathized. The real growth came when Sinter found himself in a situation no one would want to be in if not prepared. The way he took on the responsibility, the way he handled things and eventually the way he came to embrace "all the best part" of himself was heartwarming.

Overall, I enjoyed All the Better Part of Me . The characters were engaging and the story was relevant. And MRingle's extra gift was the 80's song titles as chapter names. It really did set the mood. ;) I intend to read Relatively Honest so I can get the back story on Daniel and Julie, Sinter's London-based friends, soon.

I'm going to give this book an above 3 rating.
I liked the thought of this book - I don't find many bisexual MCs of color and I loved that. I also love the friends-to-lovers trope, so I just had to request it. And it wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't anything overly special. It's fluffy and angsty (yes, that's possible) and a bit unbelievable and I do recommend this to all who wants to read about characters who develop during the story, figuring out where they stand, who they are and what they love,

/ Denise

I was really excited to read this one after I received it, but I was a bit disappointed by the end of it.

I wasn’t the greatest fan of the writing style - first person past tense is not my favourite - which was a bummer. When I read first person, I prefer if it’s in present tense instead.

I thought Sinter and Andy’s friendship was super cute and, although I felt that they could have taken it a bit slower, I think it that Sinter should have known that Andy already had feelings for him because he’d accepted their deal promptly.

Now, about Sinter. Yes, he was kind of childish at times, but Andy wasn’t fair to him either. It took Andy three years to come out to his parents, who were always supportive parents, and he expected Sinter to come out in less than a year to close-minded parents who had never supported his career or dressing style choices. I loved Andy, but I don’t think he was trying to put himself in Sinter’s shoes, considering the later was having a crisis.

In the end, I really enjoyed the 80s references and Sinter’s uniqueness. The story was fun but also heartbreaking and I’ve convinced my sister to read it too, so I guess that’s a win.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book... I did in the beginning. I liked it up until the London section of the book ended. I feel like the London section added depths of the book which were removed when the book shifted to America. In addition, I didn't like or agree with a plot point which happens at the end of the London section which has an impact on the American section. On top of that it seems like there was a bunch of things which keep the characters apart which I didn't like. It was a lot of unnecessary drama. I wish the book focused more on the characters their feelings and their goals in life, as opposed to throwing things at them to keep them apart.

It's such a shame that I ended up DNFing this book because I really liked the representation of a bisexual south Asian-American (I think he's Indian-American but I don't want to say that for sure). I loved the Hollywood aspects of the book but I didn't like how that fades when the London sections ends. It becomes less of a focus.

I started reading this book in July 2019, and when I was enjoying the book I read like 40% of it in a few days, but then when a plot twist occurred that I didn't like, I probably read 9% of the book in three months. I felt like I gave the book a strong chance, but unfortunately I didn't like the way it turned out, and it was stressing me out not finishing this book.

I personally wouldn't recommend this book.

An easy yet engaging read. You can’t help but feel for Sinter and his uphill struggle in life. Just when things seem to be going his way, another curve ball is sent out of left field. Has everything I look for in a book.

The draw for me to this story was the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope. It has that aspect, but it ended up being so much more than that. I think the writing was good and I enjoyed the character development making me really feel like I know both Sinter and Andy. I liked Sinter, but I fell in love with Andy which seemed unusual since the story was told in single POV through Sinter. I would have liked a little more of the sexy times to be on the page. There was a surprise that I did not see coming and was glad to see, because I felt a little lag in the middle that made me unsure where things were going. The ending was very satisfying and left me feeling glad that I read the story.