"Alexa, order me some black eyeliner and a coffee pot!" I want a rich golden retriever too.
Finally! I've been searching all over for more trans representation and I'm so glad I found it! Will definitely be recommending this story to others. To start we have 2 main characters Aspen aka Cupcake and Caelyx. Aspen is our FTM trans who gives off emo vibes but like in the 2000s Emo era where you can walk into any hot topic and hear "King for the day by Pierce the Veil" booming through speakers. If I would have to describe their relationship with a song it would definitely be between "CrushCrushCrush by Paramore" and "The only exception by Paramore" I feel like those 2 songs gives the overall vibes of the story. "The only exception" represent Aspen perfectly and his fear of letting people in. The fear of receiving love and acceptance. Thinking that he's content with being alone because of past traumas,family issues, and events. Until Caelyx arrives in his life someone who isn't afraid to tear down those walls. Giving him everything he never knew he needed or wanted. Which in return gives Aspen the courage to risk everything deeming Caelyx the "Only exception". Also the melody is like a slow soft buildup which helps me correlate with Aspen slowly starting to open up. Caelyx is our golden retriever type energy guy. I feel the song "CrushCrushCrush by Paramore" represent Caelyx fairly well. It has this upbeat rock kinda fun type vibe but if you listen to the lyrics you can feel the chaoticness hidden underneath and the yearning of wanting someone so bad that being friends…
MY OPINION: This is the second book in this series, and it was pretty different than the first. Much less interaction with college life throughout, but we do get a healthy dose of the friend group, which includes Maddox and Ren from book one.
There are a few tropes here, but the overall feeling is grumpy / sunshine. These MCs are unique in their own way, but Caelyx is a typical spoiled rich college kid who had been cut off by his father so he could learn to be independent.
Through his roommates, he met Aspen and became obsessed. Low-key, almost stalker obsessed. After a lot of patience and the fact that they were kind of forced together through the friend group, Aspen finally let him into his orbit. Even hooked up with him. That one hookup grows to be more.
Since Aspen was transgender, there is some dysmorphia and insecurity when it came to more than something casual. The story itself allows us to see the struggles, then the acceptance that you can find when someone likes you, regardless of what you see as your flaws.
Aspen and Caelyx are a fun couple who have plenty of spicy moments. Caelyx has total golden retriever vibes, where Aspen always feels like he wants to stab you in the neck. Together, they are fun. We get to see a lot of interaction with the friend group.
The story is charming with two great guys. We get an inside look at some of the struggles Aspen goes through as a transgender man. What a wonderful love story it turns out to be.
An amazing story with an incredible couple!
Although Aspen and Caelyx are coworkers and share the same friend group, they're basically opposites in every way. Aspen wears all black, is known for being prickly, dedicates time and attention to his studies, and struggles to make ends meet. Caleyx, on the other hand, wears designer labels while flirting with anyone and everyone and prefers to be the life of the party. Oh, and he happens to come from a billionaire family. Billionaire with a B.
But for some reason that Aspen can't figure out, Caelyx seems almost obsessed with him. Constantly flirting, asking him out, wanting to spend time with him, and even changing his fboy ways.
The more Aspen starts to get to know Caelyx, the more he realizes that he is more than the empty headed flirt Aspen originally thought. But the two men are worlds apart, Aspen has his family to worry about, and when Caelyx's father gets involved? All bets are off.
Why is nobody talking about this book?! I've read over 1,000 MM books and every time I stumble across a trans MC I am so happy. And Aspen, that prickly black cat, was everything. Although he tried his hardest to keep Caelyx at arm's length, that sweet golden retriever of a man got through every last one of his defenses. Is there anything better than when that black cat character becomes soft with his man? The characters were incredible. Just when I thought something would come between them, I was pleasantly surprised.
The writing style? So good, and you guys know how picky I am. The…
🧁 Fine Line by L.A. Lambert 🧁
“You know, they say there’s a fine line between love and hate.”
AH!! i absolutely LOVED these boys. Caelyx is our rich, preppy golden retriever playboy turned loverboy, and Aspen is our poor, emo black cat brick wall turned .. well .. loverboy (but not as much as Caelyx. that man has got it BADDDDD. i love it.)
when we first meet the two, we learn they both go to Byron Bay University and work together at Common Grounds, the campus coffee shop. from the beginning, we know that Caelyx is obsessed with Aspen. like, the flirting is practically nonstop.. but Aspen, being the closed door he is, usually just rolls his eyes and moves on.
throughout the book, Caelyx and Aspen get closer, which really turns into SOMETHING when Caelyx makes his move at a rave party 😏
it takes some time for Aspen to open up, but when he does, things get super sweet and extremely spicy 🔥
SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO THEIR FRIEND GROUP. I love every single one of them. I’m more nosy than Faulkner Vane and wanna know what’s going on with Cyprian and ‘the two hot femboys’ (as Caelyx called them 😅). also LOVED the banter.
this was such a fun read and i need MOOORE. please? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
some tidbits:
🧁 trans MC
🧁 rich x poor
🧁 ‘Cupcake’
🧁 emo boy with colorful tattoos 🌈
🧁 forced proximity
🧁 vibe date 😏
🧁 most anticipated first kiss EVER
Super cute!! Caelyx and Aspen are so sweet together. Black cat meets Golden retriever in the best way possible. I love their banter and how they can constantly tease each other in such a fun loving way. There was random parts throughout the book where the words have more of a past tense (like they were telling their story to someone) feeling to them as opposed to present tense (like we were loving it with them) feeling or maybe my brain was just interpreting it weird, but either way, i thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for more. I really hope there is more planned for this series…… hopefully Arie, Che, and Cyprian!
