Review by Cheeks
Jun 22, 2024"As much as we are a shitshow and have a bunch of the same flaws, we also complement each other in the weirdest possible way."
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. (Although I was already planning on reading this when it came out; it's been on my TBR since February! I'll read anything Erin Russell writes at this point.)
I was so happy to return to Possum Hollow for Ford and Tristan's story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their fucked up little situationship that, despite their best efforts, blossomed into an actual relationship. And boy does Erin Russell know how to traumatize their characters!
I appreciate Russell's comprehensive list of triggers at the beginning of the book, as some pretty heavy topics are covered here. Also, at the start of the book, Russell notes that ASL is a separate language and that direct translation wouldn't make much sense in context. They also note that Ford is not a member of the deaf community. I appreciate the acknowledgment and the distinction, as well as the positive representation shown here.
68 Whiskey is the second book in the series and takes place following the events of Stupid Dirty. It's basically prickly junkyard dog mechanic x unhinged adrenaline junky medic. Add a heap of trauma and presto!
The book is set in the fictional town of Possum Hollow, Missouri. Although Possum Hollow is not a real place, if you've ever visited rural MO, you know exactly where this is.
The book starts with a traumatic, dramatic meet-cute where Cade and Tristan are called to the scene of a stabbing--which just so happens to be at Ford's garage, where Cade's boyfriend Silas works. Poor Silas caught the business end of a knife in a robbery (don't worry, he's fine!), and while Cade attends to Silas, Tristan settles in to work on a very agitated Ford, who has been detained by the officers on scene. This is very inconvenient as Ford needs his hands to talk given that he is mute. Tristan, being the rational human in this situation, gets them to uncuff him so he can check him over as he took a wrench to the noggin during the attack. That's where we start.
"He has husky eyes. Light blue and totally fucking crazed. I love it. Something about that raw, feral intensity sparks my own crazy in response."
Ford and Tristan have had difficult lives, which have left them both with physical, emotional, and mental scars that they desperately try to bury underneath unhealthy coping mechanisms.
"Having someone genuinely give a shit about whether I live for die is like a wet rag over my mouth, and I'm on the cusp of suffocating."
These guys are not the poster children for mental health, but somehow, they smooth each other's ragged edges.
I loved seeing them go from allergic to feelings to declarations of love. Russell has a way with dark humor that had me giggling throughout this book. And when Ford wakes Tristan up from a nightmare by saying his name, I was done for. It was such a beautiful, important moment.
My only complaint is that this wasn't longer. I could have read 333+ more pages of Ford and Tristan. I have a feeling that we aren't done with them yet, and I can't wait to see what else Erin Russell has in store for the small town of Possum Hollow.
4.75/5 Stars
"As much as we are a shitshow and have a bunch of the same flaws, we also complement each other in the weirdest possible way."
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. (Although I was already planning on reading this when it came out; it's been on my TBR since February! I'll read anything Erin Russell writes at this point.)
I was so happy to return to Possum Hollow for Ford and Tristan's story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their fucked up little situationship that, despite their best efforts, blossomed into an actual relationship. And boy does Erin Russell know how to traumatize their characters!
I appreciate Russell's comprehensive list of triggers at the beginning of the book, as some pretty heavy topics are covered here. Also, at the start of the book, Russell notes that ASL is a separate language and that direct translation wouldn't make much sense in context. They also note that Ford is not a member of the deaf community. I appreciate the acknowledgment and the distinction, as well as the positive representation shown here.
68 Whiskey is the second book in the series and takes place following the events of Stupid Dirty. It's basically prickly junkyard dog mechanic x unhinged adrenaline junky medic. Add a heap of trauma and presto!
The book is set in the fictional town of Possum Hollow, Missouri. Although Possum Hollow is not a real place, if you've ever visited rural MO, you know exactly where this is.
The book starts with a traumatic, dramatic meet-cute where Cade and Tristan are called to the scene of a stabbing--which just so happens to be at Ford's garage, where Cade's boyfriend Silas works. Poor Silas caught the business end of a knife in a robbery (don't worry, he's fine!), and while Cade attends to Silas, Tristan settles in to work on a very agitated Ford, who has been detained by the officers on scene. This is very inconvenient as Ford needs his hands to talk given that he is mute. Tristan, being the rational human in this situation, gets them to uncuff him so he can check him over as he took a wrench to the noggin during the attack. That's where we start.
"He has husky eyes. Light blue and totally fucking crazed. I love it. Something about that raw, feral intensity sparks my own crazy in response."
Ford and Tristan have had difficult lives, which have left them both with physical, emotional, and mental scars that they desperately try to bury underneath unhealthy coping mechanisms.
"Having someone genuinely give a shit about whether I live for die is like a wet rag over my mouth, and I'm on the cusp of suffocating."
These guys are not the poster children for mental health, but somehow, they smooth each other's ragged edges.
I loved seeing them go from allergic to feelings to declarations of love. Russell has a way with dark humor that had me giggling throughout this book. And when Ford wakes Tristan up from a nightmare by saying his name, I was done for. It was such a beautiful, important moment.
My only complaint is that this wasn't longer. I could have read 333+ more pages of Ford and Tristan. I have a feeling that we aren't done with them yet, and I can't wait to see what else Erin Russell has in store for the small town of Possum Hollow.
4.75/5 Stars
