A free copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Getting It Right is the story of Nate, a seemingly straight police officer, who realises that he's in love with his best friend James, an alcoholic psychiatrist. However, Nate is also on the hunt for a serial killer who is targeting the town's gay men.
I am really not sure what to think about this book. So much of it felt confused and all over the place and it felt like Arthur couldn't work out if she was writing a serial killer thriller with some romance or a romance with a serial killer in it. On the blurb it's marketed as a queer romance, but by a quarter of the way in you've had a traumatised teenager with an eating disorder, the medical death of a friend and a brutal attack on one of the main characters that describes in detail how he was stabbed in the face. Thirty seconds later, the characters are having a party, making out and giving each other blow jobs. There's too many extra characters, all of whom seem to have trauma or be in abusive relationships, and while I liked Nate as a character, our introduction to James involves him nearly assaulting someone in a bar. I'm not sure where you're meant to go from there.
The slow build romance actually worked for me, but there were so many extra side plots that by the time you got to the end of the story half of them were left unfinished. As this is part of a series, I guess all of the extra plots have their own books, but it means you can't enjoy this story for what it is without all the extras. Plus the serial killer plot is resolved with barely any explanation or understanding. It just all combines to give you whiplash while you're reading and makes the book hard to get through and slow to read.
One likeable character, one unlikeable character and too many confused plotlines. Plus a bit too brutal in places for something marketed as a romance. 2 stars.

Oh, A.M. Arthur, I am such a fan. In her latest release, Getting It Right, Arthur tackles addiction and long, slow burning love in two of the most fascinating characters she has ever created and allowed us to revisit. First introduced in a former novel, James Taggert and his friend Nathan now are front and center in this gorgeous new story.

Dr. James Taggert is no stranger to a quick screw and a couple of mind numbing drinks. But one night at his favorite bar, he goes too far and nearly hurts someone by forcing sex on him. When he calls in his long-standing one-man search and rescue team, best friend Nathan Wolf, he is far from sober, yet cognizant enough to realize he has hurt the man whose attentions he was seeking in the back stall of the men’s restroom. Nathan has “been there and done that” with Jay (James) countless times before. This time is no different, or so it seems until one fumbling kiss unleashes long held feelings from both men, and even though Nathan is straight, he is now fully aware that he wants Jay for more than just a best friend.

But what should two inseparable friends do if exposing their deeply buried longings could signal the end of a long lasting friendship? Is it really worth the risk to “come out” to each other and potentially destroy the one thing they both depend on? Jay decides it’s too risky and cruelly pushes Nathan away. What happens next not only threatens Nathan’s life, but also may well destroy any possibility of a happy ever after for our two obstinate main characters.

Oh golly, this story. This novel kept me teetering on the edge of a complete meltdown. The long, winding angst of a potential love affair that could destroy what Jay and Nathan had so carefully built and nurtured over the years kept me on the edge of my seat. Coupled with miscommunication between the two men and Jay’s inability to accept the fact that he had addiction issues, I felt as though I was dead center in the middle of their lives and unable to help them see the light.

Believability, wounded characters, trauma that threatened to derail their love for each other before it could even be explored, fear of failing each other, and coming out to family and friends, this novel had it all in spades. And the amazing thing about it all is that A.M. Arthur wrapped each of those elements into a gorgeous story of trust and love. With tender and fascinating side characters thrown into the mix, this was a slice of life come to the page with all the pain and drama and joy that each of us experience on a daily basis. This was an every man’s story, yet so carefully crafted that it was impossible to see any flaws, if indeed any exist, in the overall story line.

Once again, A.M. Arthur takes a simple plot and manipulates it in order to squeeze every drop of emotion out of it. In doing so, fascinating and deeply flawed characters are born and their lives play out before us intelligently and beautifully. This author hits the mark over and over. A consummate storyteller and a clever and sophisticated writer, A.M. Arthur gives us yet another wonderful story that I most definitely highly recommend to you!

Unfortunately, our reviewer could not finish the book in order to review it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for understanding.