Rating: 4
Steam: 3
PoV: single, 3rd person
Genre: contemporary romance, MM
Tropes / tags: friend to lovers, age gap, slow burn
The thought of having something of substance to ruin was almost more terrifying than the loneliness of not having anything in the first place.
Rat Park was a moving and heartbreaking story about trauma, addiction, found family and love.
I went into this blind, didn’t even read the blurb, which… I might not have picked it up at this point if I knew what was coming, and while I loved the story, I probably could have used a little mental preparation. The story really took a deep dive into Dominic’s life and the hand he’d been dealt, and it was difficult to see Dominic growing up in a neglectful home, struggling with addiction and his self-image for years.
Dominic’s situation felt hopeless at times, and he was just going through the motions, existing but not really living. He had people in his corner that refused to give up on him though, and I loved to see him together with the Romero’s. He didn’t know how to trust good things, and it took him quite some time to realise that their kindness and love didn’t come with conditions.
The romance between him and Flor was a slow, slow burn, and while Flor had been harbouring a crush on Dominic for years, their journey towards getting a HEA together was far from smooth. Their relationship came with a dose of guilt for Dominic that he had to work through, and there were some miscommunications between them. I loved to see them together and Flor was great for Dominic, he was a spitfire and pure sunshine, bringing some much needed light and love into Dominic’s life.
Rat Pack was a heavily emotional and character driven story, and it was a read that hit me hard. The themes of hurt / comfort and found family was beautiful here, and it was easy to root for Dominic. It was a difficult and heart wrenching journey – but seeing Dominic getting his hard fought HEA together with Flor was everything.
He was done running. If the world wanted him here, he would want it back.
Book links:
Amazon | Goodreads | BookBub | StoryGraph
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