3.5 stars

Synopsis: Ezra lives in a small town, looking after Tray, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. Ezra and Tray mostly keep to themselves, living off money that Tray made while he was working. Ezra does everything to keep things moving smoothly, including cutting wood for warmth and growing vegetables for food.
Red was in a band, and vowed to never come back to his backwards hometown. When he is dropped by the band, though, Red doesn't have anywhere else to go. He meets Ezra and is intrigued by everything that is going on.

What I liked: how Ezra stayed true to Ezra, after finding a balance that worked. I liked that Red appreciated Ezra before he found out the truth, and that didn't change once he found out what exactly Ezra was dealing with. I also liked that Ezra gave Red the impetus to keep pursuing his dream, and was happy that he was making progress, even if it meant losing him.

What I didn't like: it took me awhile to understand what was happening, as I apparently didn't read the précis all the way through. Red and Ezra didn't have a lot of together time on page, which made it more difficult to connect with them as a couple.

Overall impression: interesting characters that I would have enjoyed seeing more of.

*I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

~ 4.5 Stars ~

Author Charli Coty tackles more than one sensitive subject in the release of the novel Speedbump. Having multiple bisexual characters, one of whom is transgender and non-binary as well, creates an interesting dynamic in a rather gritty novel about second chances. I could write paragraphs about the character of Ezra alone and still not fully realize the many layers of this fascinating person. While Ezra may physically appear as a female in transition, there is much more to their personality than just the gender dysphoria that has plagued them for years. Admittedly, Ezra does not always take the testosterone they need to smooth out the telltale feminine curves they choose to keep hidden away. However, this may have more to do with the fact that Ezra supports their brother, who has early onset of Alzheimer’s and requires round-the-clock care, making it difficult for Ezra to work anywhere near even a part time job and means that financially they live on the edge. When we first meet them, Ezra appears to be more male in appearance—at least to Red Richardson.

Red is home, disgraced and recovering from essentially destroying his rock band career by overindulging in drugs and alcohol. He is now a pariah in the once welcoming music community and has come back to the small town of Drop to lick his wounds and decide what to do next. He has cleaned himself up—but he is a man with a past, one that haunts him and dredges up more guilt than he can handle. When he spies Ezra walking alongside the road, he stops to offer them a ride—and that is the beginning of something that will eventually consume both Ezra and Red and break their carefully controlled lives apart. Theirs will be a dance that seemingly never ends, with Ezra unwilling to risk the rejection they have experienced before, and with Red unable to give up the dream of returning to music again.

Lost in a series of misconceptions and inability to communicate their needs, Ezra and Red will circle each other over and over, each time coming just that little bit closer to acknowledging their desires. Red will have to battle the mistrust and loyalties of not one but two ex’s of Ezra’s, who both seem to still harbor something more than just friendly love toward them. Ezra will finally be forced to expose not only their physical secrets but also the deeper emotional scars that have made them wary of trusting another with their heart. In the end, the emotional fallout will either see these two finally together and accepting of each other’s issues, or torn apart and unable to bridge the chasm that threatens to swallow them whole.

The beauty and sensitivity that is employed to relate the story of Ezra’s and Red’s lives leaves one breathless at times. This is no easy romance nor is it a usual one. Author Charli Coty exposes the idea of bisexuality with a less than politically correct lens, allowing her characters to stumble over the proper terms—a key example being Red grappling with whether to call Ezra he, she or they. The author doesn’t shy away from depicting Ezra physically or fade to black when it comes to describing their sexual activity. Instead, the scenes are done with compassion, directness and a frankness that is refreshing and even poignant at times. When Ezra physically reveals their body to Red, risking his rejection or disgust, it is perhaps the most courageous scene in the entire novel and the most intimate. But the real triumph here is how two lives, so wounded, so fragile find in each other a sense of home—a connection that supersedes any physical attraction even though that remains a healthy part of their relationship.

I daresay this novel may make some a bit uncomfortable. Transgender characters are few and far between in today’s m/m genre—an oversight that is slowly being rectified. Bisexual characters are often watered down or made to fit the strict m/m molds we have thus far been used to reading about in most novels. In Speedbump, we see an author who allows the characters to be unashamedly bi, trans, non-binary or straight. There are no qualifiers, no excuses, no trying to make the reader comfy by making Red and Ezra’s relationship something easy and unquestioned. Instead, all kinds of questions and emotions arise, and the author allows the people in this novel to address them with unflinching honesty. I would venture to say that some readers may not like the way in which Red essentially blurts out whatever comes into his mind in regards to Ezra’s sexuality, particularly when he remarks that loving Ezra fulfills his personal love for both men and women. However, it is just that honesty that makes this character more of a real person than any politically correct stance he could have been given by the author.

In my opinion, Speedbump is a love story that transcends labels and allows for love to blossom in the wake of shared heartbreak and loneliness. It appreciates the intentions of the heart and seeks to allow for mistakes to be overcome when communication is used to correct misconceptions. I value what I think this author was trying to say, and I recommend you read this novel with an open mind and heart.

It had engaging characters and a very interesting story-line. All in all this was a good book. I was not what I was expecting when I picked it up, I thought Ezra was going to be a much more androgynous character. Once I got over that I really enjoyed the story.

I loved characters (main and secondary) in this thoughtful story about family, friendship and love.

The romance was understated but lovely and I appreciated the author also took time to develop relationships with family and friends too. Each character grew personally and with each other.

I did however have a couple of things that did stop me from loving the book. Firstly 'stupid horny', did we really have to read that statement so many times? It just irritated me in the end.
I also found that the narrative wasn't always as clear as it could be. There were quite a few times when I found myself wondering if I'd missed something, re-reading and then realising the author hadn't explained yet. This resulted in me never really getting into the flow of the book.

I really enjoyed this unique story. I loved the way Ezra's genderfluidity was handled and the connection they had with Red right from the beginning. I'm not a fan of instalove but the way their relationship played out worked here. I'm a fan of character-driven stories, and there is a great cast of characters, including Tink, Brett, and Tray. Early-onset Alzheimer's is something talked about in romance novels, and it added a layer of emotion and interest to the story.

My only complaint is that there were minor pacing issues that kept it from really drawing me in completely. It felt like every conflict (other than Tray's illness) was solved too easily, just a "speed bump" rather than something that really challenged them. I would have preferred if the author had chosen one or two issues and drawn them out rather than adding so many quickly solved problems. It was a case of trying to do too much. Other than that, it was a very satisfying story.

I really wanted to like this. Genderqueer romance lead and a washed up musician? Sounds like a great premise. I liked Ezra, and I had no reason to dislike Red, but they never came together. It felt like I was reading two different books, One about Ezra and one about Red, and they never came together. There was no spark, no chemistry between the two of them. They hardly had much page time together, so I didn't understand why they were drawn to one another. All together, this was a very awkward romance.

[Excerpt]
This was without a doubt the first and only book (so far) I’ve read where the main character is truly androgynous, if you will, and not strictly defined as being a "girl" or "guy". Ezra isn’t defined by normal gender standards. For people who struggle with understanding how this works, Ezra’s story is a good avenue to explore. I consider myself very open to all types of identities, but even I struggled at times to see how this identity (or lack thereof) worked. You have to be very open-minded and receptive to Ezra because they aren’t just a character; they embody all the people in the world who feel the same way – that is, that they don’t fit in a traditional guy’s world, but not in a traditional girl’s world either, but somewhere in-between, and even beyond.
[Full review on my blog.]

This book had an interesting pace--it was often slow and detailed, but then would speed up and many days would pass. It was sometimes difficult to work out the timeline when we had a change in point of view. Sometimes they crossed over, and sometimes Ezra's story picked up ages after we left Red.

But despite these unusual stylistic choices, I engaged deeply with both characters because we see so much of what they are battling and feeling. It's such an immediate book. Whoever we're with, we are truly there. Of course, often Red is pining over Ezra and vice versa, and that means there's much swooning and hoping and wishing, which is all rather cute really.

The diverse aspects of sexual orientations and gender representations were all interesting and informative, but I am not sure that's what you should be going for when writing a romance novel. Fiction tells stories, but sometimes it informs as well as entertains, so I didn't mind this too much, but for some readers, this is a reason not to read (da Vinci Code, anyone?)

It did take ages before Red and Ez get together, but when they did it was great. I love how they are perfectly suited to each other, and if that's a bit too convenient, well, romance story, hello...

It has a strange but melancholic feel, and the situation with Tray almost broke me. So, it has powerful emotions running through. I am not sure if I am recommending this. People will have definite ideas about what suits them. I didn't mind its strangeness. I was happy to road-trip with these two troubled and deserving-of-happiness pair.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for letting me read this advanced copy. Book is out Feb 5.

Book received from Netgalley for an honest review

I had really high hopes for this because the premise sounded interesting and I thought I might learn something about other types of sexuality. As it turns out, dumping a non-binary character into a book doesn’t not necessarily make for engaging reading. Ezra’s truck breaks down one evening and Red, disgraced rock star, stops to offer a lift. Red is immediately attracted to Ezra, and apparently vice versa.

For over half the book they probably only manage about three sentences of conversation between them. Red seems to drive around in his muscle car stalking Ezra, feeling horny but never really engaging. Ezra is trying to deal with a much older brother with early-onset Alzheimer’s (this too could have been powerful but they have no connection). There are two exes hovering around smoking weed. There are parental issues on both sides but nothing more than a hint.

There is not enough dialogue or chemistry to make it a romance and so little information embedded into the characters to make me care about them. It was like wading through molasses until nearly 90% when they finally start talking to each other but by then all I really wanted to do was finish.

This novel is going to be the thing that changes a readers life, it didn't move me in ways that I expected, but I still enjoyed it,
The writing seems a little choppy from one scene to the next, but it doesn't take away from the books overall feel.