Thanks to Netgalley for my e-ARC!!

4 Lighthouse stars!! This book squeezed me in the feels. Estranged childhood friends with the other coming back and keeping his distance?? Gooooood, the heartache!!!! I loved the plotline, but I felt like the art was just a bit lackluster? Like it’s hard to tell when they’re sad if you just stare at the panels and I feel like if the art was softer in some ways, it’d be easier to tell.

Anyway, I’d definitely read this again and even buy a physical copy to be on my bookshelf!

The drawings are beautiful ans I love lighthouses so I was happy. However, the story felt flat, nothing really happens and the explanation about why Hozumi saif what he said was a bit rushed and uncertain... Their relationship felt a bit weird, also with Mishima who NEVER smile it was a bit hard to get attached to him... I wanted to like it, but it was way to quick for me. I arrived in the end like "what ? already done ? But nothing happened ?!".

Many thanks to Netgalley, Kodansha Comics and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the story of Hozumi and Mishima who were close friends and each other's first love. They haven't been in contact since Hozumi left the island after graduation and breaking Mishima's heart. It’s a story of loneliness, grief, heartbreak, forgiveness and sexual boundaries. Having said that all these attributes were barely touched in the story.

The art style was beautiful and very fitting to the setting and characters. However, the story felt so rushed that it felt like nothing happened. The reason for their breakup was very teenagerly but having said that there was not real forgiveness asked or given. With the kind of loneliness that Mishima experienced, I wouldn't expect him to just forgive and forget. Not to mention the smut felt forced and boundaries of consent was blurred and was very uncomfortable.

Overall, was a bit of a miss for me.

First; Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and Publisher for the ARC

It was very lovely and I was sad that it ended so quickly.
I felt that there could have been more, or that the story could have gone on a bit longer.
On one side everything with the granddad, the lighthouse, the resentment and the doubts on the other side the lying, the highschool reunion, the brother, the family business and the coming out to his parents.

I loved it, felt a bit sad and would have enjoyed more of it.

I enjoyed this angst riddle tale of love and redemption. The book skirts around issues of consent and sexual morals but ultimately stays on the right side. The emotions and trauma are well detailed.

Thanks NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this arc

2/5 stars

This could have been sweet, about forgiving past mistakes and the hurtful and dumb things we say and do as teenagers, but instead this felt pretty lifeless and rushed. I didn't really like either main character, they both felt pretty boring and I wasn't invested in either their (very small amount of) personal growth or their honestly problematic relationship. I think they should have talked things out a lot more, that Mishima shouldn't have forgiven Hozumi so quickly and completely, and that there should have been a lot more build up of their relationship other than what transpired.

i think this has some problems that make my review sound harsh, everything is so fast without a reason, and some scenes should have come first like their backstory more importantly to make an impact on the we are gonna be together again, that should be the end or at least the previous part before the conclusion with their romance ending. I think this order of events doesn't make much sense and does not help the story.
Then like I said everything is super fast-moving when it could have been a great story about hurt and second chances and reasons and feelings. I agree with the other reviews when the first sex scene is unnecessary because why? to show they still have feelings? and in that style? it could have been something else and more impactful.
Overal I have read better than this and it was a bit disappointing.

A really sweet story of second chance romance. I really liked the artatyle and the island atmosphere it created.

I really liked this! The storyline between these boys was so relatable and the art style was so easy to look at. and I am so glad I read it.

First reading this genre but oh boy, It’s a typical break-up scene then few years after they have a reunion and one must have a closure. It was cute but then it ends abruptly like why? I want more. I need more. I like how loveable the characters are and they look gorgeous!

A one-shot BL manga is a perfect way to dive into something. It was so nice diving into something that I knew was going to be wrapped up in the end. Yet, by the end, it felt as if there was something missing.

In so few pages, Mishima and Hozumi’s history is condensed down. Not only did this leave me feeling like I was missing key information that would help explain their past and the connection that they have. Without that, the whole manga I felt like I was playing catch up and trying to read in between the lines and then it was over.

Feeling like I was missing out on their history and connection wasn’t the only thing I felt like I was missing out on, I feel like the characters suffered as well. I never felt like I really got the chance to get to know them. They did in fact feel like flat characters, rather than ones that could pop off the page at any moment and tell me their story themselves.

While I did struggle with all of that, I do think the story was nice at the core. Two people who have a deep history, reconnecting. It was nice, but needed some fleshing out to really bring it to life and make it a story that would stay with the readers.

I loved the art in this manga.

Unfortunately though, that was about the only thing I enjoyed. The plot was rather messy and rushed making me think this would've been a better slow burn multiple volume, rather than a single volume, and there were a lot of conversations and plot points that were discussed once and then completely glossed over or forgotten about.

The thing that I really disliked, though, was that this was a romance, but it didn't feel romantic to me at all. The whole thing felt one sided and forced. Mishima made it clear very early that he wanted nothing to do with Hozumi, but Hozumi forced his way into his life and wouldn't accept the clear boundary that was set. Then the sex scenes felt rapey to me. Especially the first one where Mishima clearly wasn't comfortable or okay with the situation.

I only got about 15% into this as it was archived before I finished. However what I read was paced very well and the characters individuality was really well fleshed out and established. I think I would’ve enjoyed this looking over the premise and with the execution of the beginning that I had read. Would be very interested in continuing and picking up the authors later works!

I couldn't get enough of the characters and the story. I really loved the way this story unfolded, and how easy it was to love and root for them. It was such a beautiful story. Thank you netgalley for sending me an arc of this book.

I absolutely loved this manga, and I can appreciate it as a standalone. Which makes it easier to suggest to customers new to boys love manga, as it's not a series with a huge number of volumes.

It's very mid in most aspects.
Edition and translation feel well done.
The art looks good but nothing remarkable.
The story starts OK but it falls off the cliff real fast. The conflict is set well in the first part, then we don't get much explanied and suddenly all is solved and it ends. Has a spicy scene in between.

Can't really recommend it.

A melancholic story about second chances, but it sadly it didn't fully do it for me.
It was a nice, quick read and I generally liked the art style but it won't become an all-time favourite.
The setting with the lighthouse was lovely and one of my favourite parts.

A quick read that is mostly sad, considering the setup, but gives you hope with its ending.

Hozumi and Mishima were friends in high school and first loves. At the end of the year, Hozumi told a lie that has had an impact in bith their lives. Seven years have past and Hozumi retuens to the island to help with the family business. As he starts to build his life there, he learns more about Mishima and how he has become fairly reclusive. With lingering feelings, Hozumi wants to meet Mishima again and see how he is doing. Mishima still has a lot of resentment and doesn't want to see Hozumi again. Unfortunately for him, Hozumi is very persistent. After they finally meet and talk they discover they both have feelings for each other and begin to start fresh.

The White and Blue Between us is a sweet BL manga romance. The characters have a past and lingering feelings for each other. Watching their relationship blossim again was sweet. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I did find Hozumi to be overbearing and a little selfish. He frequently did what he wanted and didn't think ahead to the consequences of how it would make Mishima feel. I loved Mishima's character and found myself wanting to see more from him. He didn't seem nearly as invested as Hozumi was in the relationship and several times I wondered if he still had trouble trusting Hozumi. It was an enjoyable read if you enjoy second chance romance and short, sweet romances.

Thank you Kodansha for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley.

2/5 ⭐️

This had so much potential with tropes that I like: high school romance, small town romance, reunion, second chance. I'm a huge fan of "I Hear the Sunspot" and was super excited to give "The White and Blue Between Us" a read! Unfortunately, I was left disappointed at the messy execution.

The story follows Mishima and Hozumi, who dated in high school but then broke up. Hozumi moves away for college, but returns years later to help with the family business.

I was already rubbed the wrong way by the opening page. The synopsis stated a “white lie” but Hozumi's was a HUGE lie, which understandably left Mishima feeling hurt. His reason for lying made absolutely no sense. He deeply betrayed Mishima… and for what?

Furthermore, Hozumi’s actions throughout the manga were just not great. His main interaction with Mishima is constantly being told to go away. The extremely sudden and fast-paced smut scene initiated by Hozumi left a sour taste in mouth with how potentially dubcon/noncon it is, especially considering Mishima's negative reaction and Hozumi's thoughts after.

The pacing is all over the place in the manga. There was constant flipping back and forth between their high school years and their current time as adults. Mishima takes Hozumi back in for no reason after being hurt by him again, and then shortly after there’s a timeskip where the two are happy and lovey-dovey?? The reader is given zero time to watch these characters grow & truly reconcile with the past, and is just expected to accept this. This manga has a total of 2 smut scenes in under 200 pages, but they hold no substance due to how quickly everything progresses.

On a positive note, I really liked the art style, especially the eyes, and the cover art is lovely. There was also one family moment I enjoyed, but it was also underwhelming at the same time.

I don't think this story worked well as a second chance romance. I couldn’t stand Hozumi as one of the main characters, and I was certainly more invested in them as high school sweethearts than adults. Poor Mishima deserved so much better.

Unfortunately I don't see this as a book I'll be adding to my shelf. This work is a bit on the older side (2018), and it definitely shows with its tropes. The plot was jumbled, characters lacked development both in themselves and their love lives, and the bonus chapter was just awkwardly placed. There are many unlocalized works that exist, and I’m a little disappointed that Kodansha chose to translate this one.

This second-chances romance is all anyone who adores the trope of missed love can want. This heartwarming yet angst filled manga has just the right combination of light-heartedness and deep emotional connection. Lovers of romance manga will adore this cute romance between two high school best friends who turn into something more ten years down the line.