There’s so much in this book, I’m not sure I even know where to start! Alright… let’s start with the characters.
The story opens with Dovid and Rachel filming their usual YouTube content. Their channel is called “Don’t Look Now”…why? Because Dovid is blind. As a result of a rare form of cancer, he had both of his eyes removed when he was young. He and his twin sister are roommates and coworker. Asexual Rachel is the videographer and Dovid is the personality… he reviews food! Dovid uses his talented palette and his experience as someone who is differently-abled to give well-rounded and usually comical reviews of restaurants.
The twins have millions of viewers and make their living from YouTube. One fateful day, Rachel introduces Dovid to a gaming channel by Irishman, Sam. Dovid binge watches hours of Sam’s videos! Okay…he listens to them…and he falls in deep-crush with Sam’s voice and how adorable he is. Because he and his sister are enjoying the gaming channel so much, Dovid shouts out the channel. Almost immediately, Sam is thrust into the spotlight. Thousands of people subscribe to his channel overnight and he’s shoved into a far brighter spotlight than he was expecting.
Dovid reaches out to Sam to give him some advice when he realizes what he’s done. They become fast friends, and then feelings develop between them. The relationship is a digital one…based on DMs at first, then some texts and eventually moving on the phone calls. Dovid’s feelings grow at the same times as Sam’s but they are both hesitant to be too forward.
There are a lot of ups and downs in this story. The banter is quite clever and amusing, and let me tell you, I learned more about being a content provider on YouTube than I ever expected to! There are parts of the book that read like a how-to manual. Finally, due to a sponsorship agreement, Dovid and Rachel make their way to Ireland and finally get to meet Sam.
The meeting is everything they hope it will be! But the two men are still learning about each other. Dovid is sexually experienced, bisexual and, of course, familiar with those who are asexual because of his sister. He has an inkling early on that Sam has little experience with men or sex of any kind for that matter.
There’s some great diversity in the characters in this book and it’s explained subtly enough that it doesn’t overpower the plot. If you’re not a child of the digital age – you might find some of this a bit over-the-top but it’s a great snapshot of what it must be like to be a content provider!
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I was given an ARC copy of this book by Carina Press via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 