Jamie is a charmer, who might seem carefree, but who has problems with drinking, making bad decisions, chronically being late and messing everything up. But now he’s starting over, moving to a new city to be closer to his childhood best friend. there is a light is an actually comfort read; it feels like a warm blanket around your shoulders, your hands held up to the fire before they grow too cold.

Jamie. Oh, Jamie. I love this mad lad with all of my heart and soul. He's a total himbo with a heart of gold and you just can't help but love him.There Is A Light is a heartwarming story set in Edinburgh following two very broken men in the 1980s and how they find each other and eventually, dare to open up to each other. I love second chance romances and this was certainly an emotional ride with second, third and fourth chances… At the heart of the story there is this mystery of why Kit tried to kill Thomas, their relationship and complicated feelings harboured about the past. The book is very focused on its characters and their dynamics, their imperfections and the messiness of relationships. I randomly found this book a while ago, and then learned that the author was a very popular Snowbaz fanfic writer whose fanfictions I've enjoyed for YEARS (I've probably read all of her fanfics, I'm being deadass). So I wasn't surprised at all that I enjoyed this book!

The atmosphere of this story is on another level, everything felt very anchored on the Isle of Mab and its magic is so well weaved in. Thomas’ visions feel very vivid when reading them and every moment of terror experienced by the characters is enhanced by the setting. This was so captivating and I had a hard time putting it down, it was so easy to get drawn in by every aspect of this book and feel everything deep in your heart. Okay so this book was actually one of the best things I've read in a Very Long Time. I'm bad with words, so I'm gonna make a list. Isla is a selkie who has only recently taken human form. She’s cold, hungry, miserable...and dead set on discovering what has happened to her best friend. She knows that Thomas could help solve the mystery, if only she could convince him to join her. Unfortunately, Thomas has absolutely no intention of doing so...until she tells him that the person she's seeking might have a cure for his visions.Jude says that Jamie is always affectionate when he's drunk, and comes home to poke Jude's cheeks and play with his hair, but *we* never really see any previous mention of this it is mentioned that Jude got a lamination machine and had been leaving signs for Jamie all over the house. It would've been cool to see this slowly become a tradition, and to see Jamie's initial reactions. Julian smiles. A real one. I think I get what he meant about kind cheeks when he smiles. I don't think I have them, but he definitely does. Kind cheeks and mussed up hair and messy beauty, clutching a chipped mug and trying to look happy. There’s also talks about identity, of sacrifices and what they mean, the potential of lives not lived, and how ultimately the choices we make will feel right because of the people we love and surround ourselves with. The relationships and dynamics are all so intricate but at the end of the day there is this little family that is a little messy on this little lost island, and it makes my heart content.

We’ve never said I love you. That’s not what we do. He says you keep me sane. I say you keep me focused. We talk around our feelings. We’ve planned a future together, but that’s not new. We’ve always had a future together, ever since we were kids. Wherever he went, I was always going to follow.” Weak Heart isn’t a weak book. It is a strong self published debut. The sheer quality of the story is impressive as Gilmartin writes a neat, emotional, and well structured plot of a book. The story itself is unapologetically queer and shows a deep level of tenderness in representing the vulnerability and love shared between multiple characters. It is not just a fantasy story with a bit of mystery following queer characters, it is a story with heart and depth. Jude (or Julian) Pujari, one of the two main characters (my favourite), is a depressed college student mourning his mother and generally just breathing. Over the course of the book, Jude falls in love, makes loads of tea, and tries living. This has to be one of the most unexpected books I’ve ever read. I went in it with very little knowledge of what it is actually about and I feel like it only enhanced the experience.The ending. It's an open ending. It's not a fairytale where everyone is better and perfect. For the most part, everyone is still struggling with their issues and I like that. It shows that healing take time and effort! i like that the ending was happy and yet open and left things resolved bc that's life. life always throws shit at you and keeps throwing shit and you and you never know how things will turn out and what would happen next and how things will be resolved bc those goddamn ups and downs keep happening. but you keep going anyway and figure things out as you go bc that's life. and with the people you love at your side, you want to keep going and figuring out things together. feels so much more true to life than a "and they lived happily ever after" When Jamie gets a job at Jude’s family bookstore, Jamie immediately falls for Jude, but can they find a way of living and loving in their messy lives and not be too much or too little to each other. I will say: I don't think this is for everyone. The pacing is quite slow, and, honestly? Not much happens in this book. We simply follow Jamie and Jude as they go through a couple of months in their life, dealing with their personal issues, becoming friends and, eventually, falling in love. you can’t say you’re living for others and simultaneously hide from life and hope it won’t find you. other people can be your push, but you have to do it yourself. you have to face your life and take control of it. you have to try.

So yeah, obviously I love and recommend the book! Sit down with a cup of tea on a rainy day, or wait every Wednesday and Sunday for the updates. I honestly think the latter is a great option, because as it is fast paced, this does stretch it out and I think the tension will be even more well done. I'll definitely be rereading it this way! With everything in this book, it still has this overarching sense of hope. Its never too late to start trying and keep trying. There is a light. Remember that.

eBook Details

Complex issues and emotions were dealt with so tactfully and gently, this was like a book for everyone , there is almost a part that everyone can relate to. These issues are brought up in the characters that you can understand how it goes on in their heads and you can understand it, and you can feel what the characters feel. i’ve read there is a light maybe three or four times now, and i love it every time. as an independently published book, it’s not one that has a lot of traction. but it’s one i don’t talk about often because of how tightly i hold onto it. but i’m loosening my grip a little now. i’m allowing this part of me to be seen. it sees how difficult it is to ask for help. how love is not enough to miraculously fix everything. but this book says: let others in, and you can help each other while working on yourself. that life is horribly terrifying but you can find safety with each other.