Politics and Poly

⭐ ARC REVIEW ⭐ I don't often give books five-star reviews, but Politics and Poly deserves it. I enjoyed it so much! This book has a nice build to it between the three MCs, from friends-to-lovers, and nothing felt too rushed between them. I'm glad Kaiden received the love he truly deserved. Kaiden is such a sweetheart, I've got a soft spot in my heart for him now. And let's talk about the spice... oof, this is what I need and want from an MM romance book. This book gave me everything I needed and more. Chef's kiss 😘 Spice 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵 Book rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Politics and Poly” is just the cutest, sweetest, and most infuriating book I’ve had the absolute pleasure of reading this year! I swear to God, I’d join Rus in punching people in the face, because Kaiden’s family is the absolute worst! His family is just plain awful, especially his sister, he’s your brother, the person you should be protecting the most! Seriously, Bennet, you tested my limits because I was very close to losing my cool with her! The parents I at least “understand” (I don’t) being bad people, but not the sister. Lady, you made your decisions, accept the consequences, don’t force your life decisions upon others. I really wanted to hold Kaiden a lot! He faced so many struggles with his self-image, with his family. He really didn’t have an easy life, nor did Dylan. Even though they are friends, it’s only up until Rus arrives that both Kaiden and Dylan allow themselves to fully explore their feelings for each other. Rus is wild, he’s a firecracker, but he’s also passionate and has a great past. Reading everyone’s life and how much struggle they experience from a young age is really heartbreaking. They all struggled either with their body, their family, or their mistakes. While it has politics in the name and Bennet does take us down history lane sometimes, the full focus of the book is on the three characters, especially how they all blend in together. Rus is the glue to their relationship, he’s someone laid back, he likes to have fun, and because he’s so care…

This is an MMM romance about three very different men navigating love, identity, and self-worth while building something that isn’t “traditional” but is completely theirs… and it just worked in a way I was NOT prepared for. Although this story was HOT. And some scenes were scorching. It was a small part of the story. I cried so much reading this. And not just because it was emotional… but because I felt so deeply seen in Kaiden. As someone who has lost over 100 pounds, his thoughts, his doubts, his insecurities, the way he sees himself versus how others see him… it hit me hard. There were so many moments where all I wanted to do was hug him, shake him a little, and tell him “you are perfect exactly as you are, you should be proud of yourself, anyone would be lucky to love you!” And then it hit me… those are the same things I have to constantly remind myself. That part of this story? It’s gonna stay with me for a long time. Which in turn made me love Rus and Dylan even more, because of the way they saw him, supported him, and loved him without trying to change who he was in any way. It was unconditional. I also really loved that this wasn’t a cookie-cutter perfect relationship. It felt real. Messy. Honest. It showed that relationships don’t have to look one specific way to be valid or to work. As long as it works for the people in it, that’s what matters. And I loved that. As the tittle says, there’s Politics. But the politics in this book were also really well…

I overall enjoyed this read. It was a little long for me and I wasn’t itching to pick it back up when I put it down but it kept my interest enough to finish it. I did like how diverse each of the guys are. Personality, interests, their general lives. Each was so different yet they came together well. I think my favorite of the guys was Rus. I loved how out spoken he was and how thoughtful his arguments were, they make total sense and I really enjoyed the interwoven politics with this read. I feel like he is a representation of my inner rage at our world right now. Kaiden was also a fav. He really gave me people to hate on with his family. Whooo weee they were all a piece of a work. He is so sweet and really came across as special and who you want to give the world to. His struggles felt real and relatable with his body issues. Dylan was ok. He had a cool job but to me he was just kinda there and part of the group. I didn’t feel as much of a connection to his character as I did with the other two. There are scenes in the book that made me so mad on behalf of the characters. This read will get your blood pumping on parts for sure and does deal with strong, darker issues. I thought all of that was well done by the author.

**This is an ARC review and reflects my honest opinion of the book "Politics and Poly" by M.N. Bennet.** I read a lot of MM romance. It is the majority of the romance I read these days. I've also dabbled in MMM romance, but not enough to have any preconceived notions before reading Kaiden, Rus, and Dylan's story. So the first thing I will tell you is...this is not an MMM romance for those who like fairytale or idealistic romance. What I mean by fairytale is, there isn't prejudice, bigotry, internalized homophobia, etc, in the story. The world in which those stories exist is an idealized one where everyone accepts everyone. This story is not that. And that's not a bad thing, at all. Politics and Poly is about three people on their own individual journeys of self-discovery and self-love, who also find love with each other. The backdrop of this love story is a community where LGBTQIA+ are not always safe to be themselves in public, and, even with their own families. They hear awful, degrading, and disrespectful things about who they are as people to their faces. They are also assaulted for being themselves. It is important to accept that this is a current reality for the LGBTQIA+ community. If reading this causes you to be uncomfortable, think about why. But don't disregard it. Because once you get past that, you'll find a beautiful love story full of hope and acceptance. Let's talk about the guys... Kaiden...oh sweet Kaiden. He was my favorite and I wanted to give him a…