Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Eric Brown is a bit of a drama queen. As a senior in college and a theater major, he’s allowed to be. As a Resident Advisor for a big dorm, Eric’s not best pleased that another RA has been assigned to his supposed-to-be single room. Will is attractive, sporty, and definitely straight. More’s the pity…
It turns out that Will has a girlfriend and he spends a lot of weekends off campus. Still, Eric gets over his initial frustration and tries not to crush on Will. It’s too cliché, even for him. The more they hang out, the harder it is to keep his mind on just friendship. Eric loves how Will sings and writes his own songs that he plays on guitar—and he wants to see Will pursue his passion in music rather than the drudgery of his chosen major: economics. When Will’s relationship falters, Eric’s in desperate territory and manufactures a fake boyfriend cover to keep Will from figuring out about his gigantic crush.
The Kinsey Scale is a novella and it moves quickly through the months. We see highlights through Eric’s POV that show us how smitten he’s becoming, and that it’s not just primal lust. They have a nice balance of personalities, with Eric being high-strung and Will the mellow fellow. I had a few “can’t believe it” moments, especially around the campus issues around being Resident Assistants. Eric is insistent that Will is straight, and Will shows some awkwardness that would be telling if anyone (like Eric) was paying attention. For me, Eric got a little annoying—he was high on the drama and the pining. The fake boyfriend seemed especially over-the-top, and Eric has to walk it all back in order to convince Will he isn’t on the rebound.
As it turns out, Will’s been hiding some big secrets that he might have shared if Eric hadn’t immediately straight-ed him. It’s not until after Eric’s big performance night that he gets a clue Will really isn’t into the ladies. I liked how Eric supported Will, who seemed to truly feel love for the first time now that he’s sharing all his hidden parts. Honestly, this was the least-conflict side of the story. Will’s coming out seemed to be riddled with trauma, and giving us a bit of this to experience might made this story a bit more complex and interesting. As written, it’s a breezy, slow burn romance that turns unexpected friends into lovers. For fans of New Adult, you’ll find a very sweet story with a side of coming out.
