Blurb:

Web designer Jodi Peters is a solitary creature. Lunch twice a week with his ex-girlfriend-turned-BFF and the occasional messy venture to a dodgy gay bar is all the company he needs, right?

Then one night he stumbles across newly divorced firefighter Rupert O’Neil. Rupert is lost and lonely, but just about the sweetest bloke Jodi has ever known. Add in the heady current between them, and Jodi can’t help falling hard in love. He offers Rupert a home within the walls of his cosy Tottenham flat—a sanctuary to nurture their own brand of family—and for four blissful years, life is never sweeter.

Until a cruel twist of fate snatches it all away. A moment of distraction leaves Jodi fighting for a life he can’t remember and shatters Rupert’s heart. Jodi doesn’t know him—or want to. With little left of the man he adores, Rupert must cling to what remains of his shaky faith and pray that Jodi can learn to love him again.

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Release date: July 4th.

*I received an ARC of this book from Riptide Publishing via Netgalley*

Where do I even start!? This book was absolutely amazing and it’s 100% my new favourite by this author. What Remains broke my heart, made me swoon, cry and sigh in relief. I was instantly drawn into this story and couldn’t put the book down.

Both Jodi and Rupert have to find a way to live with what happened and it pained me to read about their struggles. What Remains is told in both Jodi’s and Rupert’s point of view and divided into two parts: Before and After. While the first part is again divided into the present and when they first met, the second part is solely set in the now.

I loved the little flashbacks into 2009. The first time they meet and the way they fell so seamlessly in love. No overly big gestures and questioning their feelings, they just go from friends to boyfriends like it’s the most natural thing.
Because we get to know Jodi and Rupert how they were before, it’s even harder to see them deal with the aftermath of what happens. I’m not giving away what exactly happens, but it stole my breath for a minute because I didn’t want it to be true. The life they had together was so good, almost perfect, and I really didn’t want that to end.

Afterward nothing is the same. Because the book is written in dual POV it was extra hard sometimes to see them struggle to live with their new reality. You as the reader understand them so well even though you want them both to be happy together again, but it’s just not that easy.
Garrett Leigh has this unique talent to twist your heart, then stomp on it and maybe cut it once or twice until it really hurts and then slowly put everything back together. Maybe not as perfect as is was before, but so that it fits this new situation. And I absolutely love her for that.

I can’t even put into words how special this story is. God! The way Jodi wanted to remember but couldn’t make himself. And the way Rupert had to stand there and watch helplessly hurt so goddamn much!

Garrett Leigh is fantastic at writing angst but also filling the reader with hope that by the end of the book everything will be good. And while I don’t want to spoil the end for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet, I have to say that I’m happy that while the author gave us an optimistic ending, she kept it real – in true Garrett Leigh-fashion. And I love it so so much!

I have to mention the cover! It’s so breathtaking and absolutely perfect for this story! 

Thank you Ms. Leigh for this excellent story. I can’t wait for the next. Highly recommended!

Genre: Contemporary Orientation: Bisexual Pairing: M/M Publisher: Riptide Publishing Review Tag: Amnesia Tag: Slow Burn Garrett Leigh What Remains