I don't know if it's because the story is entirely from Michael's POV and Michael is self indulgent, self absorbed, and obtuse. Well, that's not really true - I liked the writing, I just didn't like the main character, Michael. I really didn't like much about this story.

I do think I will give Raymond's book a go.Ĭaution!! Unpopular and dissenting opinion ahead. As for the rating, this is really a case of It's me, not you because it was a well writing story featuring family, addiction, love and growth.

Both were flawed characters, but they both felt much and tried hard to work with the hand they were dealt. The author did a remarkable job humanizing Michael and Nunzio. I honestly had a hard time appreciating the sex scenes because I felt Mikey was just hiding and would have a melt down shortly after sex.

I felt so bad for Nunzio and kept waiting for Mikey to pick himself up and go. He was a broken character because life had dealt him a crummy hand not including his little brother Raymond and his best friend Nunzio Medici. Michael 'Mikey' Rodriguez drove me to drink several glasses of wine because his head was a dark and painful place to be. The writing was a four star but I had a hard time with the addiction and depression part. When Michael's world begins to crumble in a sea of tragedy and complications, he knows he has to make a choice: find solace in a path of self-destruction or accept the love of the man who has been by his side for twenty years.Realistic protrayal of addiction and recovery Once problems rear up at work and home, Michael finds himself seeking constant escape in the effortless intimacy and mind-blowing sex he has with Nunzio.

Now, casual touches and lingering looks are packed with sexual tension, and Michael can't forget the feel of his best friend's hands on him. Or so they thought until a sweltering night of dancing leads to an unexpected encounter that forever changes their friendship. From escaping their dysfunctional families in the working-class neighborhood of South Jamaica, Queens, to teaching in one of the city's most queer-friendly schools in Brooklyn, the two men have shared everything. A Five Boroughs Story Michael Rodriguez and Nunzio Medici have been friends for two decades.

Sutphin Boulevard by Santino Hassell