Review: Nothing Casual by Ana J. Phoenix
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Kenta’s a shut-in (hikikomori) in Hiroshima who’s scared of commitment as much as of crowds, having been burned by both. He agrees to date Sato, who conversely seeks commitment thanks to his own demons.
Phoenix knows their stuff and presents a great portrayal of hikikomori life and issues regarding homosexuality in Japan. The settings were superbly authentic, especially the streetcar, karaoke parlour, Kenta’s apartment… all of it really! Having read this book I’m interested in reading more Phoenix books set in Japan, but it wasn’t necessary to know any Japanese or about Hiroshima to understand everything. However, early in I wondered if the author knew Japanese because I could see where certain Japanese phrases fit the English – like, Sato’s saying ‘cheer up’ has a layer of innuendo in Japanese that had me going, Wow, Sato, sweet but a little saucy?!
Both guys were well developed and believable, with interesting, detailed backgrounds that established them as perfect for each other. Kenta’s Pillow Book inclinations set the stage for a nice love scene and the backstory surrounding his marking his body with kanji characters was moving, as was Sato’s tale. The romance unfolded slowly and realistically, turning up the heat as the two opened up, leading to a really satisfying ending.
Mental health is a delicate issue and it was great to see there was no quick fix solving Kenta and Sato’s issues once and for all. Instead they committed to being together – I can’t say ‘despite their problems’, kind of because of them, as their respective strengths matched their vulnerabilities so they made each other stronger and would obviously last in their HEA.
