Cat the bookworm's Reviews > Cloud Nine

This. Was. Lovely.
And it made me all kinds of emotional.

Remember Tristan, Frankie‘s triplet brother with cerebral palsy, meaning that his legs don’t work properly, and he has to use canes? And he’s deaf from birth, only able to hear with hearing aides? Not a main character to read often about, right?

This is his book. And while his handicaps might seem to make it unlikely for this to be a “happy” book, it actually is very lighthearted, without making light of it, if that makes sense.

Some folks pretended to ignore my mobility issues altogether, which I daresay helped the person feel like they were paying me a compliment—hey, you’re one of us! This cunning plan, though, painted disability in a negative light, something shameful, something to pretend not to see. And made for very awkward conversations at the bottom of a staircase.

Tristan is remarkably funny, even if he knows all too well what he can and can’t do. And when he meets Dominic (Lysander’s little brother) for the first time, and Dominic (in a very bratty and inconsiderate way) behaves badly towards him, Tristan is deeply hurt and humiliated.

Dominic is 21, and what you would call a trust fund baby, spoiled and a typical American frat boy who messed up so badly in California where he lives with his mum, that he’s sent away to London for a while to “touch grass” until things cool down at home. But he’s… nice. A very good man under all his blustering, and when he knows he fucked up (like with Tristan), he tries to make amends. He’s like a Labrador who knows he was wrong to do what he did and now tries everything to make things better.

And yes, I was in doubt at the beginning if he can redeem himself, but it worked so well. What a redemption arc, it was a joy to see him grow up, even if it all takes place in the course of a few weeks!

I can’t even describe what makes them both so special, and why Tristan and Dom work perfectly as a couple. They feel so real, and getting both their POVs made me root for both of them, up to the point at the end of the book where my heart broke for both of them and I shed a tear or two (never fear, there’s no third act breakup or some other bullshit drama).

I loved it. It’s not perfect, but i tend to be generous with my rating when a book gives me all the feels, and this one definitely did.

Because he made me feel safe. Not like protection from muggers or disease. Nor like mapping out a secure future, a career, finances, welfare. But the best kind of safe. The hidden, secret inner safety we all craved. The one allowing us to expose our fears, vulnerabilities, desires, my horrid legs, and, yes, even my arsehole. And the security of knowing that, for the next few hours, at least, someone held me close.

I think it can be read as a standalone, but to fully enjoy all the characters, you should read book 1 first.

Oh and special shoutout to Frankie, who’s a true bridezilla while planning his wedding 😬