*Spoiler free*
Everyone who lives near the lake knows the stories about the world underneath it, an ethereal landscape rumored to be half-air, half-water. But Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia are the only ones who’ve been there. Bastián grew up both above the lake and in the otherworldly space beneath it. Lore’s only seen the world under the lake once, but that one encounter changed their life and their fate. Then the lines between air and water begin to blur. The world under the lake drifts above the surface. If Bastián and Lore don’t want it bringing their secrets to the surface with it, they have to stop it, and to do that, they have to work together. There’s just one problem: Bastián and Lore haven’t spoken in seven years, and working together means trusting each other with the very things they’re trying to hide.
When I heard that this was going to be a book with an enby/enby romance, I was basically already sold. But then I found out it’s about a secret, magical lake that is safe for their neurodivergent brains. It sounded absolutely incredible, and I was so eager to read it. Trigger warnings: transphobia, ableism
This book is quietly stunning, and so beautifully written. I don’t think I connected to it as much as other people are going to connect to it, and that’s totally fine! But I know that others will connect with it, and that makes me love the book in it’s own way.
I love the way this book is written. It’s achingly honest, and it allows both Bastián and Lore to be completely, fully themselves throughout the entire book. They both struggle with themselves, but every part of them are showcased with such love. They’re allowed to exist, and they’re allowed to love, and they’re allowed to thrive.
Another thing I really liked about this book was the writing. It feels like the world beneath the lake, slightly magical and all around wonderful.
The lake was another thing I loved about this book. It feels so full, so full of color, of life, of both Bastián and Lore.
In the end, I just don’t think this was a book that I fully connected with, but I really, really hope that the people who will connect with it find it and love it. It’s a book that’s so full of color and is so accepting, and I did like it.
Lakelore comes out March 8, 2022! You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy of your own!
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