Thaw

Thaw (2017) Elyse Springer (Seasons of Love Book)

Dedication:

You are not broken. You are not alone. You are perfect exactly the way you are.

And you are loved.

The first thing to know about Abigail is that she loves her job as a librarian. The second is that she isn’t particularly social, but agrees to be her friend Nathan’s plus-one at a benefit dinner.

And there she dances with supermodel Gabrielle Levesque, also known as the Ice Queen, and wonders if perhaps romance just might be something she could have with this complex and aloof woman.

I came across this book in a list of Ace-positive stories, and decided to read Whiteout, the first book, before this one. Whiteout was one of those books that drew me in almost against my will, all but forcing me to read the story even as I was freaking out about just what the main character had done.

Like the previous book, Thaw is told entirely from Abby’s point-of-view, so we see her fretting over her job, being Ace, and the hot and cold signals she’s been getting from Gabriella.

“Acting is another escape for me,” she said. “Being someone other than myself, being able to forget about my own life and history and take on someone else’s problems and hopes and dreams for a few hours, it is like lifting a heavy weight off my chest. And yes, I can immerse myself in a new world and escape in a way that fiction does not quite allow.”

More importantly, this is an Ace book and covers Ace issues. It’s a part of Abby’s character, but one she’s not completely comfortable with, as it is so contrary society’s expectations.

And there’s a great scene where she’s given an article on how to please your girlfriend and truly doesn’t know what to do with it.

She read the entire page, first with clinical detachment and then with a strange curiosity that was equal parts Why would anyone want to do that? and How does that even work?

When she did slide her phone into her back pocket, there was a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Could she do the things on that list? Sure. Did she want to? Yeah, if it was what Gabrielle wanted.

Another plus for me is that one of the characters is Nathan from the previous book; Abby spends time with him and his best friend Sara and their support allows her to talk out her concerns and worries and issues. So we get to see that Nathan is doing well, but we also get to see him being supportive in a way that Abby and Sarah both helped him in the previous book.

The weak spot was the Gabriella’s actions at the end of the book. It wasn’t that I thought she wouldn’t take those actions for Abby, more that the bit with Tony felt a bit off and shoe-horned into the story. It wasn’t bad per se since it was something that happened in the background, but I wasn’t sure I believed it.

That one thing aside, it’s really lovely, and I really liked it.
Rating: 8.5/10

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