I accepted a review copy of Bonding by Matthew Erman and Emily Pearson (Illustrator) through Rockstar Book Tours. It was also over on Sadie’s Spotlight. You can hop over there for a sample page and a chance to win a copy for yourself.
A man, a woman—and their parasites. Marcus has been alone since the loss of his closest friend and has just recently entered into the dating scene, while Laura has drifted in and out of relationships since high school. They meet, they have a great first date, and Marcus almost dies—because the slug-like parasite that everybody carries in this world nearly rejects him, its host.
I liked this well enough, but like the blurb, it leaves a lot to be desired. There is just something important missing.
I liked the art a lot, and I liked the story and characters in the most general sense. But I thought there were large narrative leaps, missing emotional connections, and the whole thing felt erratic and unfocused.
This was especially true in the generational transition between part one and part two. While I liked the characters more here—appreciated how they mellowed and settled with age—it was an abrupt and unexpected shift. While I appreciated the theme that we all struggle to find ourselves in similar ways, I felt the story was half-told.
All in all, I’ll call it a petty, middle-of-the-road read.
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