Beautiful and Terrible Things

By: Riley Hart

Narrated by: Michael Fell

We were six years old when I fell in love with Gage Beaumont.

We were 17 when he realized he felt the same.

His dad was the town troublemaker, and I was the son of a cop. We couldn't have been more different, yet we were best friends, had each other's backs, and kept each other's secrets. "What you are, I am," we always said.

Then one night irrevocably changed our lives forever.

It's 10 years before I see Gage again, and instantly I can tell he's not the same boy I fell in love with. We're both haunted and hardened by the memory of that night - of everything we did and saw.

Yet as much as we've changed, the connection between us lingers. Our history is so devastatingly complicated that it's difficult to allow ourselves happiness. With every touch, every laugh, every moment we take back, the more signs I see of the old Gage resurfacing. Little by little, I'm becoming the Joey he remembers, too.

But it's never that easy. If we truly want to heal, we have to find strength not only in each other, but in ourselves. Life is filled with beautiful and terrible things, and this time, we'll do whatever it takes to hold on to the good, and to each other.

Warning: While this is a story about friendship, found family, and two men epically in love, it also deals with difficult themes: childhood physical and verbal abuse, some violence, depression, and anxiety.

©2020 Riley Hart (P)2021 Riley Hart

Wonderful

There was a nice flow to the story. Although some parts predictable it did not detract from the story- nice read

Beautiful, Heartwarming, and Well narrated

I was deeply touched by the characters’ stories and how the author unfolded their experiences and perspectives. The narrator did so well it was almost as if he was telling his own story…nice job.

What you are I am!!!

What you are I am should have been the title. This book….it was all the feels and more. I am just super disappointed that Fell was the narrator. He really ruined the story. His style is so herky jerky, fast and slow that it ruined the really soft parts of the book. I finally had to stop and read those parts. This great of an author should only have their books read buy some of the greats!!! Don’t miss this story! It’s a great one!!!

Beautiful written

This is a amazing book, be ready to cry a lot. There is a HEA.

A True Love Story

This book healed my heart. It was amazing to listen to a book about a love I could identify with. For people of LGBTQA+ there aren't many references to love stories so this story is so life affirming. The author captured the purity of love and painted it onto a canvas of tragedy, masterfully. The actor captured the characters and brought them to life. I will be forever changed by this story .

update: I actually listened to the book a second time and discovered so connections to my own life I want aware of the first time which has given me a measure of closure and healing.