A sweet BL manga about a second chance love. What happens when you love someone so much you are willing to let them go to keep from holding them back? Hozumi returns home after seven years away to confront the man he let go. Mishima. Mishima understandably has his walls up. and lives a rather solitary life now that his grandfather passed. However, Hozumi is determined to right the wrongs of his past and make amends to Mishima because he never stopped loving him.

This was a sweet and even paced story. It had its somewhat spicy moments, but I focused more on the love story. I liked that Hozumi's parents were supportive. but I found myself wanting to learn more about how Mishima coped with his solitude for the past seven years. All in all, it was a good read.

*Honest and voluntary review via Kodansha Comics through NetGalley.

CW: dub-con (imo)

*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*

This really wasn’t very good. I’m not sure what it was, but the storytelling was really off, at least for me. Everything felt very one-sided for Hozumi, like Mishima was being almost bullied into being in a relationship again. There was a scene that was all kinds of dubious consent, and Hozumi is just like “sorry, but I love you”.

Maybe the story suffered from being a one-shot story, so it didn’t have a full series to fully develop the characters and the storyline? It just fell really flat for me and didn’t feel at all believable.

This had a really cute concept. And the art was stunning. I felt the story got lost throughout the pages. It was a cute love story but there was no meat to the story. I wasn’t expecting the spice so that was a nice surprise !

Thank you so much for arc and the ability to enjoy this story!

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. I definitely enjoyed this volume of manga due to more of an in-depth feelings (plus more not safe for work moments) But I still want more from this series!!!! Because of these points, I have to give this a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I don't even know what to say about this. for starters, there's almost no plot at all, the little there is makes no much sense as the story progresses and the characters are not speaking in one scene, the next one is literarily raping the other one, and the next they are together again without any resolution.

I wasn't expecting much from this manga. Which is great, because it delivered very little.

First of all, the art. While the environmental art was visually pleasing, the character art was... Amateur. The faces were inconsistent and not very pleasing at the best of times. The anatomy was disproportionate, making the already stiff posing look even stranger. Overall, the art was boring and unprofessional.

The story was... I mean there wasn't really anything there. The pacing was ridiculous. The plot went out the window within the first chapter. The characters weren't particularly likeable and the chemistry was non-existent. I won't even get into the extremely out of place sex scene in which the consent was dubious at best.

Either the team was extremely new to this or just... Didn't care about this series. Either way, I could not recommend this to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley.

I definitely preferred the flashbacks over the present timeline. I feel like the present is so rushed. There was no tension and no build up. While the flashbacks weren’t slow, I feel like the teenage awkwardness added some tension.

I liked the art style. And the story concept is good. I’m all for them finding their love story, I would just like more tension.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this one. I didn't love what felt like harassment being included even if it was under the guise of "love". Also, the first sex scene was very ambiguous and appeared like it could've been coercion, which I also did not like. Otherwise, it was a sweet book. It's so hard to fit everything you want to into a one-shot I guess.

1.25 stars.

When I saw the beautiful cover for this, and read the synopsis, I was hoping for a cosy, second chance romance by the sea.

What we actually got was...well, definitely not that.

While the artwork is nice, it was pretty inconsistent, and despite there being 7 years between the high school flashbacks and the present day, there was nothing to make this easily distinguishable in the visuals. Paired with the strange pacing and back-and-forth between present day and memories, I was left confused at times as to when and where we were with the guys.

As for the characters themselves, there was very little personality for either of them. Mishima is an assumed hikikomori, with an abrasive demeanor that doesn't allow us as readers to really get to know him. And Hozumi just isn't very likeable full stop.

Their relationship break-up was nonsensical, the flimsy reasoning seeming like almost an afterthought of the author just for the sake of having it happen. We quickly go from Mishima wanting nothing to do with Hozumi, to being back with him again with no real conflict or conversations to address any of their history.

And let's talk about the out-of-nowhere sex scene which, though not 100% clear, seems like dubious consent at best, and actual assault at worst!? But again, it's never addressed, so who knows what the author was thinking.

I think the only thing I actually enjoyed was the brief glimpse we got of them during high school, when they were originally falling for one another. The moment they took a nap together outside was very sweet.

Overall though, this was a mess, sorry to say.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars out of 5

This story was just very okay. Definitely not the worst story I've ever read and it was still a bit enjoyable in parts. The story was mostly comfy and cute with some angst but there were a few parts that happened out of nowhere that were uncomfortable. I did like that these characters were adults, I am glad that is becoming a more common thing in manga the last few years but there just wasn't here. I wish there was a bit more, especially for a one-shot because it doesn't really seem worth the 13-15 USD that it'd cost and I can't imagine it being too many people's cup of tea because of the lack of much of anything.

Disclaimer: I received an arc copy of this on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The cover is cute, but the story is lacking. There is absolutely no reason to feel like these boys are in love. The timeline and the way the story cuts from past to present seemingly without reason makes it worse.

Ultimately, the very very low rating is due to a non consensual sexual experience that was thrown in for what reason??? And romanticized. I hated that. Would give zero stars if I could.

I did really enjoy reading this, but I wish we had another 100 pages or so for plot. We get roughly 130 pages or so of the main story, and it KILLS me because I think there was really something there if only we’d gotten a little more buildup and a lot more groveling. Seven years is a long time to nurse a broken heart, so the reconciliation was a little abrupt for me.

Loved this one so much! I am a second chance romance girlie, so this one hit all of my buttons!

The art was so sublime when capturing the emotions of two people who loved each other deeply, but wouldn’t show it. I loved that we got to see a little bit about their life together, after, and that’s it wasn’t all roses, they had to work together to rebuild what was destroyed before.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for an eARC of this manga!

I’m absolutely getting a physical copy of it as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This follows Hozumi and Mishima, old high school friends who grew apart due to what is deemed a "little white lie". After returning to the island they grew up on, Hozumi wants to make up with Mishima and fix things between them. However, over the years Mishima has shut everyone out and now lives off the grid in a lighthouse. The story follows the two as they try to mend things and hopefully face the feelings they have for one another.

I truly did not get anything out of this story, the plot was very bland and very rushed. The characters were very flat and one-dimensional with no personality, which made the read very boring to me.

Additionally, one of my biggest pet peeves in books is when there is smut for the sake of having smut, and that was the case here. Was not needed at all, felt very awkward and out of place, and did not add anything but a bad taste in my mouth.

The art was really beautiful but unfortunately, the story itself was a miss.

I really wanted to like this but the characters felt flat and i just wished it was longer. Some parts were also kinda problematic.

**I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

This was an enjoyable read. The dynamic between the two main characters was interesting. We got a glimpse into their history that pretty easily spelled out what happened between them, and watching them slowly fall for each other again was fun. There were a few confusing points, but other than that, this was an interesting story.

I didn't really love this story because it had some problematic things and the relationship between the two boys felt really rushing and we don't get to see their feelings towards each others.
The sexs felt unnecessary both of the time more than unnecessary it was so sudden without being build up to that situation, mostly the first one when it wasn't even consentious and that didn't sat right to me.
Only at the end of the volume was nice and we could see more of their dinamics , so it's a shame, if it would be more develomped the relationship it could have been a good manga.

The cover is cute.

I didn’t love the art style and the characters were not well developed which made their relationship feel forced - no chemistry.

The reason for the conflict was shallow and predictable, but none of this is what lead me to a one star rating though, it was the non consensual sex scene that was passed off as something romantic?? Which made me feel uncomfortable and a little ill tbh.

Also would have been nice to have a content warning or something as I had no idea it contained mature content.

"The White and Blue Bwtween Us" is a poignant and heartfelt BL one-shot that explores the complexities of friendship, love, and forgiveness. I like how the story delves into the consequences of a single lie and how it can fracture relationships, leaving behind unresolved feelings and misunderstandings. As Hozumi and Mishima navigate their reunion after seven years apart, the author beautifully captures the emotions of regret, longing, and hope. The setting of the island town and the lighthouse adds a nostalgic and atmospheric backdrop to the story, enhancing the themes of nostalgia and reflection. With its compelling characters and touching storyline, "White Lies and Blue Skies" is a captivating read that will resonate with fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this yaoi manga. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it. The story was a bit superficial and rushed, I couldn't attach to any of the characters, it all just felt forced. Too bad.