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BrewBiz #1
Affogato
Despite finding success in his career, the BrewBiz Deaf Café owner's love life is another story. Because Caleb's longest relationship just came to a screeching halt when his ex cheated.
Then dumped him.
Publicly.
And the video of it went viral.
Resigned to his fate of being famous only because the world saw his public humiliation, Caleb turns sour and bitter. It's easy to hide his feelings after that, and it's even easier to ignore what his heart really wants: the new hire who's so anxious, he jumps at his own shadow.
It also doesn’t help that Bodhi is too young, too good looking, and too sweet for a man like Caleb to ever deserve him.
Especially when Caleb's been nothing but terrible to him from the moment they met.
But there's more to Bodhi's story than meets the eye, and he might just be the man who can teach Caleb the meaning of love without strings. Love without expectations.
And the kind of love that leads to real happily ever afters.
Affogato is the first book in the BrewBiz series. It's a boss/employee enemies to lovers romance featuring delicious baked goods, crêpe loyalty, late night snacks, first kisses, first times, and the swooniest HEA.
Then dumped him.
Publicly.
And the video of it went viral.
Resigned to his fate of being famous only because the world saw his public humiliation, Caleb turns sour and bitter. It's easy to hide his feelings after that, and it's even easier to ignore what his heart really wants: the new hire who's so anxious, he jumps at his own shadow.
It also doesn’t help that Bodhi is too young, too good looking, and too sweet for a man like Caleb to ever deserve him.
Especially when Caleb's been nothing but terrible to him from the moment they met.
But there's more to Bodhi's story than meets the eye, and he might just be the man who can teach Caleb the meaning of love without strings. Love without expectations.
And the kind of love that leads to real happily ever afters.
Affogato is the first book in the BrewBiz series. It's a boss/employee enemies to lovers romance featuring delicious baked goods, crêpe loyalty, late night snacks, first kisses, first times, and the swooniest HEA.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 13, 2023
309 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
E.M. Lindsey
143 books1,385 followersE.M. Lindsey is the author of MM contemporary romance. She presently lives and works in the southeastern United States.
EM Lindsey also writes MM Paranormal Romance under the pseudonym Ariel Millar.
EM Lindsey also writes MM Paranormal Romance under the pseudonym Ariel Millar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
March 21, 2024
It took a while to warm up to this story. I like the core and in the end I also liked the characters. However, the beginning was so hard. I just couldn't find a connection.
It's not because the story is set in the deaf community and therefore a few brain adjustments are needed to understand everything while reading. I think the author has a good knack for getting everything across in the right way so that even an uninformed hearing reader can get by. However, you are thrown into the middle of the story and don't get a good introduction to the characters in my opinion. I didn't know how to take Caleb for a long time. He is sometimes a huge asshole and then again not and his attitude was quite annoying.
In between, I kept asking myself whether I should have read a different series first. Somehow you get the impression that there are a lot of characters in it that you should already know. I don't like that sort of thing.
I also think Bodhi's autism could have been portrayed a bit better. So, it's not badly done. I could really empathize with him. However, I still think it falls a little short. The emotional level between Bodhi and Caleb also seems rather brusque and brief to me.
And then one of the biggest things, it's declared as enemies to lovers. Really, it's so not. Caleb is just an arrogant asshole sometimes and his reactions to Bodhi are not really well portrayed, but by no stretch at all do either of them hate the other, there's no enmity. It's just a bit of a lack of communication and misunderstanding. 🙄🙄🙄
Oh damn, it always makes me so sad when books fall short of their potential.
“For an asshole who loves hearing so much, you don’t like to listen, do you?” Bodhi swallowed thickly, his eyes wide. - This is the moment I would have liked to kill Caleb. 🤯🤯🤯
The romance that develops after all the initial difficulties is very beautiful. And I love that Bodhi knows exactly what he wants and isn't a bit insecure about love.
“Most people play coy,” he spelled c-o-y slowly so Bodhi could follow. “Pretend to be shy. Make the other person guess.”
Bodhi wrinkled his nose. “That sounds like a good way to not get what you want.”
“It is,” Caleb confirmed with a nod and a wide grin. He shuffled closer, making Bodhi’s heart pound. “I like that you tell me what you need.”
“To be held. To be wanted,” Bodhi answered. 🥰🥰🥰
Rating ... sometimes it's just difficult. I'm giving it three stars again because I just can't make up my mind. It's a good book, but also somehow not. 🤷🏼♀️
It's not because the story is set in the deaf community and therefore a few brain adjustments are needed to understand everything while reading. I think the author has a good knack for getting everything across in the right way so that even an uninformed hearing reader can get by. However, you are thrown into the middle of the story and don't get a good introduction to the characters in my opinion. I didn't know how to take Caleb for a long time. He is sometimes a huge asshole and then again not and his attitude was quite annoying.
In between, I kept asking myself whether I should have read a different series first. Somehow you get the impression that there are a lot of characters in it that you should already know. I don't like that sort of thing.
I also think Bodhi's autism could have been portrayed a bit better. So, it's not badly done. I could really empathize with him. However, I still think it falls a little short. The emotional level between Bodhi and Caleb also seems rather brusque and brief to me.
And then one of the biggest things, it's declared as enemies to lovers. Really, it's so not. Caleb is just an arrogant asshole sometimes and his reactions to Bodhi are not really well portrayed, but by no stretch at all do either of them hate the other, there's no enmity. It's just a bit of a lack of communication and misunderstanding. 🙄🙄🙄
Oh damn, it always makes me so sad when books fall short of their potential.
“For an asshole who loves hearing so much, you don’t like to listen, do you?” Bodhi swallowed thickly, his eyes wide. - This is the moment I would have liked to kill Caleb. 🤯🤯🤯
The romance that develops after all the initial difficulties is very beautiful. And I love that Bodhi knows exactly what he wants and isn't a bit insecure about love.
“Most people play coy,” he spelled c-o-y slowly so Bodhi could follow. “Pretend to be shy. Make the other person guess.”
Bodhi wrinkled his nose. “That sounds like a good way to not get what you want.”
“It is,” Caleb confirmed with a nod and a wide grin. He shuffled closer, making Bodhi’s heart pound. “I like that you tell me what you need.”
“To be held. To be wanted,” Bodhi answered. 🥰🥰🥰
Rating ... sometimes it's just difficult. I'm giving it three stars again because I just can't make up my mind. It's a good book, but also somehow not. 🤷🏼♀️
March 22, 2024
This was educational for me; I learnt a lot about Deaf communication and was fascinated by the language of ASL and all its nuances. All of the characters in this story, and there is quite a lot (too many I must say), have various differences to the mainstream which was interesting to read about.
This book had all the ingredients for a wonderful read for me but something didn’t quite work out and I can’t put my finger on what it is. There was some inconsistencies in the writing that threw me at times and it drove me batshit crazy that they never mentioned the characters ages but just frequently referred to them as the “the older man” and the “the younger man” even in intimate scenes at 80% and made a point about the age gap but never specified what it was (unless I missed this and if so please tell me!).
I didn’t feel the romance between the two, Caleb was a dick and I definitely wouldn’t call this enemies to lovers as Bodhi is his younger employee and there is a clear power imbalance here. Bodhi doesn’t see him as an enemy, rather a sad crush who treats him poorly. I never warmed to Caleb or had much sympathy for his situation. As much as I liked the ideas of this book, overall I found the execution to be disappointing.
This book had all the ingredients for a wonderful read for me but something didn’t quite work out and I can’t put my finger on what it is. There was some inconsistencies in the writing that threw me at times and it drove me batshit crazy that they never mentioned the characters ages but just frequently referred to them as the “the older man” and the “the younger man” even in intimate scenes at 80% and made a point about the age gap but never specified what it was (unless I missed this and if so please tell me!).
I didn’t feel the romance between the two, Caleb was a dick and I definitely wouldn’t call this enemies to lovers as Bodhi is his younger employee and there is a clear power imbalance here. Bodhi doesn’t see him as an enemy, rather a sad crush who treats him poorly. I never warmed to Caleb or had much sympathy for his situation. As much as I liked the ideas of this book, overall I found the execution to be disappointing.
November 23, 2023
Book safety, content warnings and tropes down below.
«“Most people play coy,” he spelled c-o-y slowly so Bodhi could follow. “Pretend to be shy. Make the other person guess.” Bodhi wrinkled his nose. “That sounds like a good way to not get what you want.”»
This book was really unique. I haven’t read any books where both MCs are Deaf before, and I could tell the author knows what they’re talking about, and the foreword mentions sensitivity readers, which is fantastic. One of the MC is also autistic, and I really appreciated that he had other traits than just his diagnosis.
«“Would it help if you could hire another person or two? To help with the crowds? My brother would probably be able to fit in some extra hours.” Caleb scoffed. He didn’t mean to, but he was just tired and where he’d been trying to cushion his Deaf bluntness with Bodhi while he learned the culture, he was losing his grip on self-control. “Thanks for the offer, but the last thing in the world I need right now is some ASL newbie who needs me to hold their hand through toddler signs.” Bodhi’s cheeks immediately darkened and hurt flashed over his features. He wasn’t normally very expressive, so seeing it so clearly was almost like a slap to the face. But Caleb couldn’t take it back. Not when it was the truth. One Bodhi was bad enough. “He’s not like me,” Bodhi signed, his hands shaking. “You’d like him. He’s perfect.” Then, without warning, he was on his feet and hurrying out of the shop like his heels were on fire.»
I cried quite a bit while reading this. It was just straight up sad at times, and Caleb didn’t treat Bodhi well at all in the beginning. Thankfully he redeems himself, and Bodhi is very forgiving. I am a big fan of clear and good communication between MCs in books, and I felt like this had plenty of it.
«Instead of seeing the familiar look of irritation on Caleb’s face, he saw patience. The same sort of patience Bodhi had watched Caleb giving everyone else around him. It felt…strange. It felt both good and bad, like getting something he’d wanted for so damn long, but still wondering why he wasn’t allowed to have it until now.»
Even if Caleb eventually got his shit together, it wasn’t automatically fixed for good. They had to work through it and their feelings, both apart and together.
«I wish I could take back the last several months.” Bodhi shook his head, and when Caleb frowned, he actually laughed. “You were with Cameron. And after that, you were hurt and angry. If you tried to say this to me before, I would have thought you were using me to feel better.”»
I read this book silly fast, and I would definitely read it again.
⚠️ Spoiler alert ⚠️
Book safety
Cheating: Caleb is cheated on by his ex (off page)
OM drama: No
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
TW/CW
Mentions of child abuse
Filmed without consent (non-sexual)
Mentions of cheating (not between MCs)
Panic attacks
Mentions of bullying
Almost non-consensual kiss (not between MCs)
Vomiting
Ableism
Homophobia
Explicit sexual content
Sensory overload
Tropes & tags
Age gap
Boss/employee
Virgin MC
Hurt/comfort
Deaf MCs
Autistic MC
Neurodivergent
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
«“Most people play coy,” he spelled c-o-y slowly so Bodhi could follow. “Pretend to be shy. Make the other person guess.” Bodhi wrinkled his nose. “That sounds like a good way to not get what you want.”»
This book was really unique. I haven’t read any books where both MCs are Deaf before, and I could tell the author knows what they’re talking about, and the foreword mentions sensitivity readers, which is fantastic. One of the MC is also autistic, and I really appreciated that he had other traits than just his diagnosis.
«“Would it help if you could hire another person or two? To help with the crowds? My brother would probably be able to fit in some extra hours.” Caleb scoffed. He didn’t mean to, but he was just tired and where he’d been trying to cushion his Deaf bluntness with Bodhi while he learned the culture, he was losing his grip on self-control. “Thanks for the offer, but the last thing in the world I need right now is some ASL newbie who needs me to hold their hand through toddler signs.” Bodhi’s cheeks immediately darkened and hurt flashed over his features. He wasn’t normally very expressive, so seeing it so clearly was almost like a slap to the face. But Caleb couldn’t take it back. Not when it was the truth. One Bodhi was bad enough. “He’s not like me,” Bodhi signed, his hands shaking. “You’d like him. He’s perfect.” Then, without warning, he was on his feet and hurrying out of the shop like his heels were on fire.»
I cried quite a bit while reading this. It was just straight up sad at times, and Caleb didn’t treat Bodhi well at all in the beginning. Thankfully he redeems himself, and Bodhi is very forgiving. I am a big fan of clear and good communication between MCs in books, and I felt like this had plenty of it.
«Instead of seeing the familiar look of irritation on Caleb’s face, he saw patience. The same sort of patience Bodhi had watched Caleb giving everyone else around him. It felt…strange. It felt both good and bad, like getting something he’d wanted for so damn long, but still wondering why he wasn’t allowed to have it until now.»
Even if Caleb eventually got his shit together, it wasn’t automatically fixed for good. They had to work through it and their feelings, both apart and together.
«I wish I could take back the last several months.” Bodhi shook his head, and when Caleb frowned, he actually laughed. “You were with Cameron. And after that, you were hurt and angry. If you tried to say this to me before, I would have thought you were using me to feel better.”»
I read this book silly fast, and I would definitely read it again.
⚠️ Spoiler alert ⚠️
Book safety
Cheating: Caleb is cheated on by his ex (off page)
OM drama: No
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
TW/CW
Mentions of child abuse
Filmed without consent (non-sexual)
Mentions of cheating (not between MCs)
Panic attacks
Mentions of bullying
Almost non-consensual kiss (not between MCs)
Vomiting
Ableism
Homophobia
Explicit sexual content
Sensory overload
Tropes & tags
Age gap
Boss/employee
Virgin MC
Hurt/comfort
Deaf MCs
Autistic MC
Neurodivergent
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 9, 2023
⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️
Cute boss/employee romance.
The relationship is tender and sweet, in typical E.M. Lindsey style.
I love how the author represents different types of characters, so unconventional and unique in their own way.
The caretaking is my favorite aspect — how Caleb respects and treats Bodhi is sweet and just adorable.
CW and tropes:
- autistic MC
- Deaf MCs
- Boss/employee
- Past trauma
- Age gap
- Hurt/comfort
POV: 3rd person, dual
Cute boss/employee romance.
The relationship is tender and sweet, in typical E.M. Lindsey style.
I love how the author represents different types of characters, so unconventional and unique in their own way.
“Thank you.” Bodhi frowned. “For what?” “Being you.”
The caretaking is my favorite aspect — how Caleb respects and treats Bodhi is sweet and just adorable.
CW and tropes:
- autistic MC
- Deaf MCs
- Boss/employee
- Past trauma
- Age gap
- Hurt/comfort
POV: 3rd person, dual
July 27, 2023
Ugh. The thing that really killed this for me was Caleb was such an unbelievable tool for the first 30%. Like, he was an incredible asshole to Bodhi and I don’t care what you are going through in your life, he was so cruel. And he was supposed to be the love interest and told Bodhi to make him earn it when he finally pulled his head out of his ass, but I was already so turned off by him I just couldn’t get passed it. Bodhi deserves EVERYTHING good in this life. He deserved better than Caleb.
Honestly, Bodhi and the side characters get all the stars for this. I also didn’t understand how fast things were moving. The first 30% is Caleb being an asshole and then he decides he’s interested in Bodhi, but not sure he can jump into another relationship, then he’s insanely attracted and then falling for him and saying forever?!? How did we get here?!? There was no time for growth or for him to grovel. Because I would have made him grovel forever!!! Seriously. He needed to do some huge soul searching.
But. I am weirdly invested and am looking forward to Wren who is the complete opposite of his brother Caleb. So fingers crossed.
Honestly, Bodhi and the side characters get all the stars for this. I also didn’t understand how fast things were moving. The first 30% is Caleb being an asshole and then he decides he’s interested in Bodhi, but not sure he can jump into another relationship, then he’s insanely attracted and then falling for him and saying forever?!? How did we get here?!? There was no time for growth or for him to grovel. Because I would have made him grovel forever!!! Seriously. He needed to do some huge soul searching.
But. I am weirdly invested and am looking forward to Wren who is the complete opposite of his brother Caleb. So fingers crossed.
July 18, 2023
3.5 rounded up. I really enjoyed this one and couldn't put in down for a good chunk of it. It still isn't a full win. Caleb is "older" (we don't know his age) and owns a café run by deaf people. At the start of the book he gets dumped publicly and he is very rude to Bodhi. My main problem is that we never really get him, why he was SO rude to Brodhi and to me he wasn't redeemed enough. His 180 from being rude to being attracted/in love was WAY too fast and sudden. Bodhi is "younger", Heard of Hearing, he is not very fluent in ASL because of his family, he has a twin who is also deaf and not always very nice to him. He is also autistic. That was a lot of elements and I'm not sure they really had enough room to breath. The portrayal of the deaf community and language was very informative and interesting. I really like the found family of the café itself. I'm not sure about the autistic representation, I can't really judge but it felt inconsistent. Now, he tells Caleb that he is autistic and Caleb has no questions and knows how to deal with everything right away, as if by magic. Even the fact that Bodhi needs to be touched a certain way (even when it comes to, say, hand-holding). That felt a bit convenient. The relationship development felt fast and almost too easy. I would still recommend it and I would say it maybe was my favorite by this author because we didn't get any scenes happening off page and then summarized.
November 1, 2025
C+ / 3.5 stars
I generally enjoy E.M Lindsey's books, but Affogato didn't work as well for me as I'd hoped. Caleb is joint owner of the BrewBiz Deaf café with his brother, Wren, with whom he doesn't have the best relationship. When the book opens, Caleb's boyfriend - now ex-boyfriend - is in the process of very publicly dumping him and gleefully telling him that he's been cheating on him for years (with different men.) As if that isn't bad enough, they've drawn a crowd who are busily filming their animated ASL conversation; Caleb is completely stunned and on the verge of a panic attack when his newest employee, Bodhi, comes to the rescue and gently steers him away and into his office.
Bodhi is autistic and like his brother, Ravi, was born deaf, although unlike Ravi, doesn't feel like he has much in common with the Deaf community and struggles with ASL because his brain works differently to most everyone else's. He's sweet and quiet, and has a massive crush on Caleb - but doesn't think it can possibly go anywhere. Caleb is older, he runs a successful business and Bodhi is, well, him; awkward and inexpressive and difficult.
Affogato is well-written and as always, the disability rep is excellent, but the romance leaves much to be desired - there's little chemistry between the leads and it kind of comes out of nowhere, at least on Caleb's part. He behaves poorly towards Bodhi for the first quarter or so of the story - mostly he's impatient because Bodhi can't read his signing fast enough and struggles to communicate using ASL, too - and there's no inkling that Caleb is the slightest bit attracted to him, so I struggled to understand exactly how and when Caleb fell for him or, frankly, exactly what Bodhi saw in him when he was such an arsehole to him for so long.
However, once the attraction is acknowledged, their romance is nicely done - Caleb realises he's been horrible and works hard to make up for it, plus he is also very tuned-in to Bodhi's signals and his boundaries and protective of him. Bodhi is a sweetheart who fully understands that he processes things differently and worries Caleb will come to see him as 'too much' to deal with. I liked that he's so upfront about what he wants when it comes to physical intimacy and isn't afraid to ask for what he wants. I just wish their relationship had had a better beginning.
(Also, the awful college girls who wanted Bodhi to 'translate' the video and the 'yoga moms' - ugh.)
The presentation of different aspects of deafness and of the Deaf community is interesting and, dare I say, educational - and also rage-inducing because of the way some of the characters' hearing families treated their deaf relatives, trying to force them to be 'normal' by not allowing them to learn or use ASL or sending them to therapies that were not suitable for them. There are a lot of complex emotions around the sibling relationships between Caleb and Wren and Bodhi and Ravi - each set of brothers has issues around their relationship with the Deaf community, with their deafness and how it affects them, and with each other as a result of the way they were treated growing up - all of which is, again, very well articulated.
I'm no expert, but it seems to me that Bodhi's autism is rendered well also, although I did think that Caleb sometimes seemed to know things about Bodhi's situation - how he likes to be touched, what are his 'safe' foods - by magic, because they never spoke about them.
I liked the found family aspect of the café, and the secondary cast (some of whom I imagine have appeared in some of the author's other books) is diverse and well-drawn.
The romance in Affogato was disappointing, although all the other aspects of the book worked well, and I'm invested enough in this world and the characters to want to read the next in the series, London Fog.
I generally enjoy E.M Lindsey's books, but Affogato didn't work as well for me as I'd hoped. Caleb is joint owner of the BrewBiz Deaf café with his brother, Wren, with whom he doesn't have the best relationship. When the book opens, Caleb's boyfriend - now ex-boyfriend - is in the process of very publicly dumping him and gleefully telling him that he's been cheating on him for years (with different men.) As if that isn't bad enough, they've drawn a crowd who are busily filming their animated ASL conversation; Caleb is completely stunned and on the verge of a panic attack when his newest employee, Bodhi, comes to the rescue and gently steers him away and into his office.
Bodhi is autistic and like his brother, Ravi, was born deaf, although unlike Ravi, doesn't feel like he has much in common with the Deaf community and struggles with ASL because his brain works differently to most everyone else's. He's sweet and quiet, and has a massive crush on Caleb - but doesn't think it can possibly go anywhere. Caleb is older, he runs a successful business and Bodhi is, well, him; awkward and inexpressive and difficult.
Affogato is well-written and as always, the disability rep is excellent, but the romance leaves much to be desired - there's little chemistry between the leads and it kind of comes out of nowhere, at least on Caleb's part. He behaves poorly towards Bodhi for the first quarter or so of the story - mostly he's impatient because Bodhi can't read his signing fast enough and struggles to communicate using ASL, too - and there's no inkling that Caleb is the slightest bit attracted to him, so I struggled to understand exactly how and when Caleb fell for him or, frankly, exactly what Bodhi saw in him when he was such an arsehole to him for so long.
However, once the attraction is acknowledged, their romance is nicely done - Caleb realises he's been horrible and works hard to make up for it, plus he is also very tuned-in to Bodhi's signals and his boundaries and protective of him. Bodhi is a sweetheart who fully understands that he processes things differently and worries Caleb will come to see him as 'too much' to deal with. I liked that he's so upfront about what he wants when it comes to physical intimacy and isn't afraid to ask for what he wants. I just wish their relationship had had a better beginning.
(Also, the awful college girls who wanted Bodhi to 'translate' the video and the 'yoga moms' - ugh.)
The presentation of different aspects of deafness and of the Deaf community is interesting and, dare I say, educational - and also rage-inducing because of the way some of the characters' hearing families treated their deaf relatives, trying to force them to be 'normal' by not allowing them to learn or use ASL or sending them to therapies that were not suitable for them. There are a lot of complex emotions around the sibling relationships between Caleb and Wren and Bodhi and Ravi - each set of brothers has issues around their relationship with the Deaf community, with their deafness and how it affects them, and with each other as a result of the way they were treated growing up - all of which is, again, very well articulated.
I'm no expert, but it seems to me that Bodhi's autism is rendered well also, although I did think that Caleb sometimes seemed to know things about Bodhi's situation - how he likes to be touched, what are his 'safe' foods - by magic, because they never spoke about them.
I liked the found family aspect of the café, and the secondary cast (some of whom I imagine have appeared in some of the author's other books) is diverse and well-drawn.
The romance in Affogato was disappointing, although all the other aspects of the book worked well, and I'm invested enough in this world and the characters to want to read the next in the series, London Fog.
November 13, 2023
✰4 stars✰
This book was very sweet and the diversity and representation of the characters was definitely standout!
I am on the autism spectrum myself, which is something I wasn’t very vocal about until the last year when I started to spend more time and makes friends with people who are also on the spectrum.
Because of that, I had a hard time relating to some mainstream aspects of main characters in books and I never understood why until I was an adult and got a diagnosis. It makes me happy that I’m able to read books that include characters that I can relate to in a different way.
One of our main characters, Bodhi, is a beautiful character. In my opinion, at least.
A lot of times when an author portrays a character with autism, they shy away from certain ‘ends’ of the spectrum and characteristics to make the character ‘palatable’. *ugh*.
But E.M. Lindsey didn’t do that, and personally, I really enjoyed that because while everyones autism doesn’t look the same, we hardly ever see a character like Bodhi being the MC. Even though I 'present' very differently than Bodhi, I felt really seen by a lot of ways in which his character was written.
Our other main character, Caleb, is deaf—which again, great that we have the representation and I really liked the inclusion of detail to ASL and communication. Overall, Caleb is kind of a grump and definitely too harsh on Bodhi for the beginning of the book, but this becomes quite the character arc for him.
The book becomes sweet and very comforting as it goes along, and I really enjoyed myself.
My one little disclaimer here, is that some moments in the book when Bodhi’s panic and anxiety were being described, I started to also get anxious in a way that I don’t normally when reading a book.
Which, hey, the author did a pretty good job with some sensory triggers because I even had to pause reading a few times myself and I’m not nearly as sensitive to noise and most touch in the way that Bodhi is. So it was written well enough that I had to ground myself before continuing.
That being said, maybe just be prepared for the possibility that you feel that way.
This book was very sweet and the diversity and representation of the characters was definitely standout!
I am on the autism spectrum myself, which is something I wasn’t very vocal about until the last year when I started to spend more time and makes friends with people who are also on the spectrum.
Because of that, I had a hard time relating to some mainstream aspects of main characters in books and I never understood why until I was an adult and got a diagnosis. It makes me happy that I’m able to read books that include characters that I can relate to in a different way.
One of our main characters, Bodhi, is a beautiful character. In my opinion, at least.
A lot of times when an author portrays a character with autism, they shy away from certain ‘ends’ of the spectrum and characteristics to make the character ‘palatable’. *ugh*.
But E.M. Lindsey didn’t do that, and personally, I really enjoyed that because while everyones autism doesn’t look the same, we hardly ever see a character like Bodhi being the MC. Even though I 'present' very differently than Bodhi, I felt really seen by a lot of ways in which his character was written.
Our other main character, Caleb, is deaf—which again, great that we have the representation and I really liked the inclusion of detail to ASL and communication. Overall, Caleb is kind of a grump and definitely too harsh on Bodhi for the beginning of the book, but this becomes quite the character arc for him.
The book becomes sweet and very comforting as it goes along, and I really enjoyed myself.
My one little disclaimer here, is that some moments in the book when Bodhi’s panic and anxiety were being described, I started to also get anxious in a way that I don’t normally when reading a book.
Which, hey, the author did a pretty good job with some sensory triggers because I even had to pause reading a few times myself and I’m not nearly as sensitive to noise and most touch in the way that Bodhi is. So it was written well enough that I had to ground myself before continuing.
That being said, maybe just be prepared for the possibility that you feel that way.
November 29, 2023
The author did try... and while I thought it was her(?) first ever attempt at writing, I was willing to give her some slack for the abysmal execution. When I found out that this is her(?) 20th (or so) book, I threw in the towel.
The good:
1. Interesting view into the deaf community that feels real
2. No holds barred insight into autism (also seemed real - not just a gimmick)
The bad and the ugly:
1. Zero description of the characters (I know they're all deaf, or hard of hearing, but is the reader supposed to be blind as well?) - no ages, no heights, no physical descriptions of any kind (well, one twin is a bit more "bulky" than the other).
2. Hearing discrimination (or whatever it's called when the character keeps bashing anyone who so much as dares to suggest that a deaf kid might benefit from hearing aids, voice lessons, or heaven forbid cochlear implants). Got preachy and annoying very quickly.
3. Wooden writing with very stilted dialogues
4. Not a straight or able-bodied character in sight (well, except for the awful "yoga moms").
The good:
1. Interesting view into the deaf community that feels real
2. No holds barred insight into autism (also seemed real - not just a gimmick)
The bad and the ugly:
1. Zero description of the characters (I know they're all deaf, or hard of hearing, but is the reader supposed to be blind as well?) - no ages, no heights, no physical descriptions of any kind (well, one twin is a bit more "bulky" than the other).
2. Hearing discrimination (or whatever it's called when the character keeps bashing anyone who so much as dares to suggest that a deaf kid might benefit from hearing aids, voice lessons, or heaven forbid cochlear implants). Got preachy and annoying very quickly.
3. Wooden writing with very stilted dialogues
4. Not a straight or able-bodied character in sight (well, except for the awful "yoga moms").
July 30, 2023
Foggy Brained
I’d been looking forward to reading ‘Affogato’ for a while and haven’t a clue what the word means even now after finishing the book.
Caleb is a deaf man and he is the owner of a coffee shop, where he employs staff who all have varying deaf issues. Wren is his brother who also works there. He had cochlear implants that allow him to hear, Caleb’s implant attempts failed. Many of them rely on ASL to communicate. With the exception of Bodhi . Bodhi is also Autistic and is slow at learning ASL, this frustrates Caleb and leads to him being short and snappy to Bodhi at times.
Caleb’s life dive bombs when his long term boyfriend, Cameron, dumps him in public outside his coffeehouse,all of which was caught on many mobile phones and splashed across social media. Bodhi receives the brunt of his upset and anguish.
Bodhi is super sensitive to outside interference, but he senses Caleb’s anguish when he sees his humiliation on view to the world. It is Bodhi who steps in to offer comfort and support.
My emotions were on a rollercoaster ride reading ‘Affogato’, Bodhi and his twin brother Ravi who also works for Caleb, have had such a traumatic upbringing mainly due to insufferably cruel grandparents.
This is not a depressing story. Caleb and Bodhi got my attention from the get go. Plus, there are so many secondary characters, both siblings to the MC’s and other side characters who played big part in Caleb and Bodhi’s daily life.
I never knew about the various levels of deafness and I still haven’t figured out about CODA and the different issues between hereditary and other causes of deafness. At least I feel this story has made me more aware of these complications.
Would it be unreasonable to expect ASL or BSL to be offered as another actual Language to be learned besides, Japanese, German, Chinese etc.
‘Affogato’ is an ‘eye opener’ of a read about the Deaf Community and the issues faced by them. Often when asked which disability I thought would effect me most I’ve said blindness, especially as I read so much, but the isolation of deafness as shown in this book has me giving it more thought.
I never miss an opportunity to read E.M Lindsey’s books, I’ve always enjoyed them
And this one has lived up to my expectations. So I’m extra happy to see that there are 4 books featuring characters from ‘Affogato’ Book 1. I’m especially interested to read Wren and Ravi’s individual efforts at finding their ‘someone’.
I’d been looking forward to reading ‘Affogato’ for a while and haven’t a clue what the word means even now after finishing the book.
Caleb is a deaf man and he is the owner of a coffee shop, where he employs staff who all have varying deaf issues. Wren is his brother who also works there. He had cochlear implants that allow him to hear, Caleb’s implant attempts failed. Many of them rely on ASL to communicate. With the exception of Bodhi . Bodhi is also Autistic and is slow at learning ASL, this frustrates Caleb and leads to him being short and snappy to Bodhi at times.
Caleb’s life dive bombs when his long term boyfriend, Cameron, dumps him in public outside his coffeehouse,all of which was caught on many mobile phones and splashed across social media. Bodhi receives the brunt of his upset and anguish.
Bodhi is super sensitive to outside interference, but he senses Caleb’s anguish when he sees his humiliation on view to the world. It is Bodhi who steps in to offer comfort and support.
My emotions were on a rollercoaster ride reading ‘Affogato’, Bodhi and his twin brother Ravi who also works for Caleb, have had such a traumatic upbringing mainly due to insufferably cruel grandparents.
This is not a depressing story. Caleb and Bodhi got my attention from the get go. Plus, there are so many secondary characters, both siblings to the MC’s and other side characters who played big part in Caleb and Bodhi’s daily life.
I never knew about the various levels of deafness and I still haven’t figured out about CODA and the different issues between hereditary and other causes of deafness. At least I feel this story has made me more aware of these complications.
Would it be unreasonable to expect ASL or BSL to be offered as another actual Language to be learned besides, Japanese, German, Chinese etc.
‘Affogato’ is an ‘eye opener’ of a read about the Deaf Community and the issues faced by them. Often when asked which disability I thought would effect me most I’ve said blindness, especially as I read so much, but the isolation of deafness as shown in this book has me giving it more thought.
I never miss an opportunity to read E.M Lindsey’s books, I’ve always enjoyed them
And this one has lived up to my expectations. So I’m extra happy to see that there are 4 books featuring characters from ‘Affogato’ Book 1. I’m especially interested to read Wren and Ravi’s individual efforts at finding their ‘someone’.
July 17, 2023
This BOOK 😭😭😭🥰🥰🥰
Affogato is the first book in the BrewBiz series by E.M. Lindsey. As with all of E.M. Lindsey's books it is full of wonderful disability rep. It is focused around a deaf coffee shop, and the main language of all the characters in the book is American Sign Language. One of our MC's is deaf, and the other is Deaf and Autistic.
Ugh this book drowned me in feelings. I don't even know how to put into words how much I loved this one. As a parent to a teenage son who is autistic, it made my heart happy for Bodhi to find the love he deserved and gave me hope for my own son's future. Yes I know Autism is different for everyone but whenever I see similarities with my own child it hits hard.
I just absolutely loved everything about Bodhi's character. He's a must protect at all costs character, even though in reality he would totally hate that. Caleb definitely took me longer to warm up to, because he crossed the line from grumpy to asshole on more than one occasion. I appreciated though how he owned up to his mistakes and behavior and strived to make it up to Bodhi. Their relationship isn't a smooth one, but they don't give up and have patience and care for each other. I loved the honesty to their relationship and the way they made each other feel safe.
This book just delivered all the emotions. I was disheartened with the way people treated Caleb's breakup as entertainment, angry with Caleb in the beginning, frustrated with Brohdi's brother. heartbroken for Brohdi's upbringing, happiness over Brohdi and Caleb finding their safe space in each other.
Favorite Quotes:
Caleb threw up his hands in frustration. “Because I like you! You’re beautiful. And you’re kind. And smart. You’re funny—you make me smile even when you’re not around. I didn’t realize it until recently, and I’m so sorry because you deserved better.”
No one had ever made him feel precious or wanted or capable. Everything about him was usually a burden.
. “I like that you tell me what you need.” “To be held. To be wanted,” Bodhi answered.
“Thank you.” Bodhi frowned. “For what?” “Being you.” And oh. That was… he didn’t understand the emotion rushing through him, but it was good. And a little painful. But not at all bad.
Affogato is the first book in the BrewBiz series by E.M. Lindsey. As with all of E.M. Lindsey's books it is full of wonderful disability rep. It is focused around a deaf coffee shop, and the main language of all the characters in the book is American Sign Language. One of our MC's is deaf, and the other is Deaf and Autistic.
Ugh this book drowned me in feelings. I don't even know how to put into words how much I loved this one. As a parent to a teenage son who is autistic, it made my heart happy for Bodhi to find the love he deserved and gave me hope for my own son's future. Yes I know Autism is different for everyone but whenever I see similarities with my own child it hits hard.
I just absolutely loved everything about Bodhi's character. He's a must protect at all costs character, even though in reality he would totally hate that. Caleb definitely took me longer to warm up to, because he crossed the line from grumpy to asshole on more than one occasion. I appreciated though how he owned up to his mistakes and behavior and strived to make it up to Bodhi. Their relationship isn't a smooth one, but they don't give up and have patience and care for each other. I loved the honesty to their relationship and the way they made each other feel safe.
This book just delivered all the emotions. I was disheartened with the way people treated Caleb's breakup as entertainment, angry with Caleb in the beginning, frustrated with Brohdi's brother. heartbroken for Brohdi's upbringing, happiness over Brohdi and Caleb finding their safe space in each other.
Favorite Quotes:
Caleb threw up his hands in frustration. “Because I like you! You’re beautiful. And you’re kind. And smart. You’re funny—you make me smile even when you’re not around. I didn’t realize it until recently, and I’m so sorry because you deserved better.”
No one had ever made him feel precious or wanted or capable. Everything about him was usually a burden.
. “I like that you tell me what you need.” “To be held. To be wanted,” Bodhi answered.
“Thank you.” Bodhi frowned. “For what?” “Being you.” And oh. That was… he didn’t understand the emotion rushing through him, but it was good. And a little painful. But not at all bad.
May 12, 2024
4 and 1/2 stars. Once again I’m completely blown away by a beautiful story by E. M. Lindsey. Her characters spend a lot of time on inner monologue which usually turns me off. It just works for me in her books. Her dealing with the subject of an autistic deaf man was simply incredible.
December 22, 2023
I enjoyed this for the most part, as a person with no connection to the Deaf community at all. It's very explainy, but it kinda had to be, given most of us are like me. It remains explainy to the end, though, and that wore a bit thin, for me.
I did not like Ravi. Bad brother. And the author chose to ignore how to have kept the bad people out of the twins' business by changing emergency contact info. Lastly, I'm pretty sure the MCs reverse heights by the end of the book. Whoops.
Although I enjoyed this novel, I've no desire to read more because of all that explaining. Once I understood what was going on and why, it was too many words.
I did not like Ravi. Bad brother. And the author chose to ignore how to have kept the bad people out of the twins' business by changing emergency contact info. Lastly, I'm pretty sure the MCs reverse heights by the end of the book. Whoops.
Although I enjoyed this novel, I've no desire to read more because of all that explaining. Once I understood what was going on and why, it was too many words.
October 22, 2024
3.5 stars.
What I loved: the amazing disability rep. The author really did their research on Deaf culture and autism. I also loved Bodhi. No 3rd act breakup so that’s always a win in my book.
What I disliked: Caleb. He goes from absolute dick to suddenly caring about Bodhi way too fast. It’s a 180 move. Also, the author kept referring to them as the younger and the older man and I don’t think I ever read Caleb’s age? And if it’s by a few years I really didn’t need to keep seeing older/younger. Just their names. That’s fine.
It was a cute story but not very interesting, IMO.
What I loved: the amazing disability rep. The author really did their research on Deaf culture and autism. I also loved Bodhi. No 3rd act breakup so that’s always a win in my book.
What I disliked: Caleb. He goes from absolute dick to suddenly caring about Bodhi way too fast. It’s a 180 move. Also, the author kept referring to them as the younger and the older man and I don’t think I ever read Caleb’s age? And if it’s by a few years I really didn’t need to keep seeing older/younger. Just their names. That’s fine.
It was a cute story but not very interesting, IMO.
July 24, 2023
Had high hopes especially with the neuro diverse cast of characters but the romance never really worked. Caleb was a jerk and the transition from jerk to boyfriend was sudden and not believable. Bodhi was great and definitely deserved a better boyfriend.
July 11, 2023
CWs and CNs at the end.
EM Lindsey’s newest book, predictably, had me losing my entire heart to another set of characters with their sweet love story making me swoon and cry and sigh from start to finish!
Much like Lindsey’s other series, this one introduces us to another world of close friends centred around Brew Biz, the Deaf-owned cafe. Filled with Lindsey’s signature portrayals of disabled, and in this case specifically Deaf, characters, *Affogato* is an amazingly nuanced take on complex people, their path to falling in love. Here we follow the story of Caleb, the grumpy and world-weary owner of Brew Biz, whose humiliating break-up goes viral much to his horror, and Bodhi, his young employee who is trying to figure out how his experience of being Deaf and autistic allows him to fit in, is fighting years of his own baggage and desperately crushing on his prickly boss.
Bodhi is quite possibly making it into my top 5 EM Lindsey characters so far because not only is he an earnest little cinnamon toast crunch babe, he is also one of the kindest people. He has such a capacity for empathy and a piercing sense of understanding when it comes to the people around him but particularly for Caleb that was riveting to read. And Caleb is so wonderfully complex in the way that I’ve come to enjoy in Lindsey’s books. When we meet him, his circumstances and his history cause him to lash out in some pretty harsh ways, but we are shown inside his head enough to see where he is coming from and watch him take accountability for his actions. His and Bodhi’s relationship unfolded so sweetly, both of them desperate to see where their connection is going but also so cautious because of their history. I loved watching them fall, have some missteps, show up for each other when things get hard and finally realize that what they have is real and unbreakable.
I can tell I’m already going to love this series with all its strong found family vibes and I can’t wait to get to know all these side characters in their own books. 5 giant stars for this series debut and I highly recommend it for the perfect combination of angst, swoon and spice!
CWs: Video of a break-up going viral without the consent of the main character; attempted non-consensual kiss; audism and ableism; identity struggles; past childhood neglect, abandonment and abuse; language deprivation in the form of denying d/Deaf children access to sign language; anxiety and on-page panic attacks
CNs: This is a contemporary MM romance novel containing boss/employee tropes and some elements of enemies to lovers. Both main characters are Deaf, and one is also Autistic and mixed-race. Please see the author’s note at the beginning of the book detailing the use of American Sign Language and its translation to written English. This novel is medium to high heat and contains on-page sex scenes. I received an ARC from the author, and this is my voluntary review.
EM Lindsey’s newest book, predictably, had me losing my entire heart to another set of characters with their sweet love story making me swoon and cry and sigh from start to finish!
Much like Lindsey’s other series, this one introduces us to another world of close friends centred around Brew Biz, the Deaf-owned cafe. Filled with Lindsey’s signature portrayals of disabled, and in this case specifically Deaf, characters, *Affogato* is an amazingly nuanced take on complex people, their path to falling in love. Here we follow the story of Caleb, the grumpy and world-weary owner of Brew Biz, whose humiliating break-up goes viral much to his horror, and Bodhi, his young employee who is trying to figure out how his experience of being Deaf and autistic allows him to fit in, is fighting years of his own baggage and desperately crushing on his prickly boss.
Bodhi is quite possibly making it into my top 5 EM Lindsey characters so far because not only is he an earnest little cinnamon toast crunch babe, he is also one of the kindest people. He has such a capacity for empathy and a piercing sense of understanding when it comes to the people around him but particularly for Caleb that was riveting to read. And Caleb is so wonderfully complex in the way that I’ve come to enjoy in Lindsey’s books. When we meet him, his circumstances and his history cause him to lash out in some pretty harsh ways, but we are shown inside his head enough to see where he is coming from and watch him take accountability for his actions. His and Bodhi’s relationship unfolded so sweetly, both of them desperate to see where their connection is going but also so cautious because of their history. I loved watching them fall, have some missteps, show up for each other when things get hard and finally realize that what they have is real and unbreakable.
I can tell I’m already going to love this series with all its strong found family vibes and I can’t wait to get to know all these side characters in their own books. 5 giant stars for this series debut and I highly recommend it for the perfect combination of angst, swoon and spice!
CWs: Video of a break-up going viral without the consent of the main character; attempted non-consensual kiss; audism and ableism; identity struggles; past childhood neglect, abandonment and abuse; language deprivation in the form of denying d/Deaf children access to sign language; anxiety and on-page panic attacks
CNs: This is a contemporary MM romance novel containing boss/employee tropes and some elements of enemies to lovers. Both main characters are Deaf, and one is also Autistic and mixed-race. Please see the author’s note at the beginning of the book detailing the use of American Sign Language and its translation to written English. This novel is medium to high heat and contains on-page sex scenes. I received an ARC from the author, and this is my voluntary review.
January 21, 2024
I had high hopes for this since this author is always being recommended on Reddit for hurt/comfort & disability rep so I decided to give them a try.
~~~
I liked the MCs well enough and once they got together I liked them even better but even though the story is long I didn’t feel like there was a lot of time spent with the actual couple being together. There’s A LOT going on and ontop of the chosen plot there’s an introduction to every side character in this story which I’m sure was meant to drum up interest for their own stories but it just made it feel muddled and took away from the main couple considering there was more than 4 side characters 🙈
~~~
I liked the MCs well enough and once they got together I liked them even better but even though the story is long I didn’t feel like there was a lot of time spent with the actual couple being together. There’s A LOT going on and ontop of the chosen plot there’s an introduction to every side character in this story which I’m sure was meant to drum up interest for their own stories but it just made it feel muddled and took away from the main couple considering there was more than 4 side characters 🙈
February 22, 2025
RECENSIONE A CURA DI BARBARA
Delicato!
E’ così che potrei definire questa storia se dovessi usare un solo aggettivo. Una vicenda che ci introduce in una realtà particolare con squisita sensibilit, e un tocco di delicata attenzione per le molteplici tematiche che ci propone.
“Affogato” è principalmente una storia d’amore e di prime volte, una vicenda che racchiude una componente spicy rilevante ma non soverchiante. Un erotismo che si manifesta all’interno di uno sviluppo doloroso, un percorso ricco di ostacoli emotivi e traumi psicologici.
Continua sul nostro blog!
Delicato!
E’ così che potrei definire questa storia se dovessi usare un solo aggettivo. Una vicenda che ci introduce in una realtà particolare con squisita sensibilit, e un tocco di delicata attenzione per le molteplici tematiche che ci propone.
“Affogato” è principalmente una storia d’amore e di prime volte, una vicenda che racchiude una componente spicy rilevante ma non soverchiante. Un erotismo che si manifesta all’interno di uno sviluppo doloroso, un percorso ricco di ostacoli emotivi e traumi psicologici.
Continua sul nostro blog!
dnf
December 14, 2023DNF 24% Is this meant to be a romance? It sure does not feel like it. I don't care what happens next, Bodhi deserves way better. Nothing excuses the rude treatment by Caleb. I understand the initial bit which was fair enough as Caleb was not in a good frame of mind. But keeping it after that? Just no.
July 12, 2023
Another lovely read by E.M. This is the first book in their new series BrewBiz, which is a deaf cafe.
The book opened with Caleb being publicly humiliated when he is dumped. I will say I had a very hard time for a chunk of the book liking Caleb. He doesn’t treat Bodhi too nicely.
Bodhi is a student, living in the dorms, and working to support himself. He has a terrible family, except for his brother. He is young, autistic, and sweet and just want to hug all over him.
When they start spending real time together Caleb sees where he’s gone wrong with Bodhi and tries to make up for it by earning his trust. In the end they become very sweet with each other. I just wish I felt more from them as a couple. Some dates, some big gestures (I mean Caleb was not the nicest to start with). Overall a good read and look forward to the next
The book opened with Caleb being publicly humiliated when he is dumped. I will say I had a very hard time for a chunk of the book liking Caleb. He doesn’t treat Bodhi too nicely.
Bodhi is a student, living in the dorms, and working to support himself. He has a terrible family, except for his brother. He is young, autistic, and sweet and just want to hug all over him.
When they start spending real time together Caleb sees where he’s gone wrong with Bodhi and tries to make up for it by earning his trust. In the end they become very sweet with each other. I just wish I felt more from them as a couple. Some dates, some big gestures (I mean Caleb was not the nicest to start with). Overall a good read and look forward to the next
December 21, 2023
DNFed at page 42.
Caleb is an insufferable asshole, I'm not reading 200 more pages of him treating people like shit.
Caleb is an insufferable asshole, I'm not reading 200 more pages of him treating people like shit.
July 27, 2023
❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
👥: I look a lot like Bodhi. I grew up autistic in a validist environment and I struggle to go through each day without having an explosive meltdown (maybe you don’t care because it’s my personal story and I understand, but I wanted you to know the context of my reading). Overall, I had a good time with this book, thanks to the best character, Bodhi. In my point of view, the autism representation was great ! It raises awareness of the difficulties encountered by autistic people in their everyday life and it shows how we can totally be autistic and in love, autistic and autonomous, autistic and happy. But sometimes I almost had the impression that all his personality was his autism. I understand how much it can impact someone’s life (believe me) but it kinda triggered me ? I felt like I was suffering with Bodhi and it was a lot to process. I would have liked some much needed break with Bodhi just being happy and regulated on his own.
However, I didn’t really like Caleb because he was mean with Bodhi and I didn’t forgive him, even in the end. He was self-centered and he didn’t think before saying what was on his mind. I understand that he was suffering because of his ex but it didn’t work for me…
The two characters are deaf and I really loved that the deaf representation was prominent throughout the book. It’s so important to talk about audism in our society !!
💞: I still believe that Bodhi deserves better. He deserves a family and friends who really care about him and who respect his needs because they are valid. Okay Caleb has a redemption arc throughout the book, but in my opinion it was not enough (I know I’m difficult with him … sorry). Moreover, I was kinda disappointed by their love story and I would have preferred to see them fall in love. Their relationship has evolved quickly. I felt like they didn’t even know why they had a crush on each other. I got the impression that their romantic moments were a lot focused on Bodhi’s reaction with his autism. It’s okay, but personally I would have liked to see Caleb acting more like Bodhi was simply a human-being deserving respect, and not always an autistic student who needed consideration because of his disability.
🗒: I wanted to share my favorite quotes. If I could, I’d tattoo them on my skin so I’d never forget them :
« You always matter. »
« Society fails people like us. »
« You don’t have to keep apologizing for being yourself. »
« You can do anything you want. »
« You make me feel safe. »
« He was his own person. »
« It hurts my feeling when you think I can’t handle myself. »
« I hate that your whole life, people you love and trust have put those expectations on you so often that you believe everyone feels that way. »
« They did matter. The past had shaped and defined parts of Bodhi that would never change, no matter how much healing he did. »
To conclude, I want to highlight the importance of having this kind of book nowadays. I can’t thank the author enough for writing about characters with disabilities <3 I was hard with my review because it was a very personal reading, but I can’t recommend it enough : read this book please ✨
👥: I look a lot like Bodhi. I grew up autistic in a validist environment and I struggle to go through each day without having an explosive meltdown (maybe you don’t care because it’s my personal story and I understand, but I wanted you to know the context of my reading). Overall, I had a good time with this book, thanks to the best character, Bodhi. In my point of view, the autism representation was great ! It raises awareness of the difficulties encountered by autistic people in their everyday life and it shows how we can totally be autistic and in love, autistic and autonomous, autistic and happy. But sometimes I almost had the impression that all his personality was his autism. I understand how much it can impact someone’s life (believe me) but it kinda triggered me ? I felt like I was suffering with Bodhi and it was a lot to process. I would have liked some much needed break with Bodhi just being happy and regulated on his own.
However, I didn’t really like Caleb because he was mean with Bodhi and I didn’t forgive him, even in the end. He was self-centered and he didn’t think before saying what was on his mind. I understand that he was suffering because of his ex but it didn’t work for me…
The two characters are deaf and I really loved that the deaf representation was prominent throughout the book. It’s so important to talk about audism in our society !!
💞: I still believe that Bodhi deserves better. He deserves a family and friends who really care about him and who respect his needs because they are valid. Okay Caleb has a redemption arc throughout the book, but in my opinion it was not enough (I know I’m difficult with him … sorry). Moreover, I was kinda disappointed by their love story and I would have preferred to see them fall in love. Their relationship has evolved quickly. I felt like they didn’t even know why they had a crush on each other. I got the impression that their romantic moments were a lot focused on Bodhi’s reaction with his autism. It’s okay, but personally I would have liked to see Caleb acting more like Bodhi was simply a human-being deserving respect, and not always an autistic student who needed consideration because of his disability.
🗒: I wanted to share my favorite quotes. If I could, I’d tattoo them on my skin so I’d never forget them :
« You always matter. »
« Society fails people like us. »
« You don’t have to keep apologizing for being yourself. »
« You can do anything you want. »
« You make me feel safe. »
« He was his own person. »
« It hurts my feeling when you think I can’t handle myself. »
« I hate that your whole life, people you love and trust have put those expectations on you so often that you believe everyone feels that way. »
« They did matter. The past had shaped and defined parts of Bodhi that would never change, no matter how much healing he did. »
To conclude, I want to highlight the importance of having this kind of book nowadays. I can’t thank the author enough for writing about characters with disabilities <3 I was hard with my review because it was a very personal reading, but I can’t recommend it enough : read this book please ✨
February 25, 2025
Lindsay ha già dato modo di conoscere la delicatezza nel descrivere personaggi complessi e sfaccettati, anche questa nuova serie non fa eccezione e ci presenta due realtà diverse nell’ambito dei non udenti e anche delle neurodivergenze.
Conosciamo Bodhi, un giovane dolcissimo che è stato assunto al caffè e che sembra non andare molto a genio al suo capo, Caleb. La difficoltà di Bodhi è qualcosa di così profondo e radicato nel suo essere a causa di una pessima infanzia e giovinezza con due nonni ottusi e odiosi che hanno impedito a lui e al fratello Ravi, di avere tutti gli aiuti necessari per vivere al meglio la loro condizione di non udenti.
Caleb è un uomo che è stato mollato e il video della sua rottura è diventato virale così ora tutti vengono al locale per spettegolare e vedere la sua reazione, l’afflusso fa bene al bar ma il morale di Caleb è sempre più rabbioso e infastidito, neanche il fratello Wren e gli amici sembrano essere d’aiuto, capisce anche che prendersela con Bodhi è sbagliato…
Cit. Il ragazzo curvò le labbra nel sorriso più tenero che Caleb avesse mai visto nella sua vita mentre azzerava la distanza tra loro con le braccia aperte. Lui entrò in quello spazio come se avesse perso il libero arbitrio e seppellì il viso nel suo collo. Respirando, poté sentire l’odore della caffetteria – intenso, di caffè macinato e delle spezie della cucina di Jori. Ma c’era anche qualcos’altro sotto. Qualcosa di nuovo, fresco e unicamente di Bodhi. Portò le braccia intorno alla sua vita, e si trovò a stringerle così forte che iniziarono a tremargli. Fine cit.
Due personaggi davvero ben caratterizzati, Bodhi è facile da amare, con Caleb ci vuole più tempo ma nel momento in cui capisce che sta sbagliando e si rimette in carreggiata amerete anche lui.
Entrambi hanno delle difficoltà e delle ferite nell’animo, il passato li ha resi quello che sono adesso, Bodhi con le sue paure e la difficoltà nella gestione delle emozioni, Caleb e i suoi scatti rabbiosi, entrambi devono fare un bel percorso su se stessi per riuscire a vivere meglio, perché meritano una vita felice.
Se già conoscete lo stile della Lindsey sapete cosa trovare, se non l’avete mai letta potete trovare due protagonisti ben gestiti, una serie di personaggi secondari che sono certa avranno spazio in futuro, parlo di Ravi il gemello di Bodhi e Wren, il fratello di Caleb, la loro piccola cerchia di amici tra cui Jori, Peyton e Hudson, Khai, Luke, tutti importanti e sempre pronti ad aiutare gli amici.
Se cercate una lettura che vi faccia passare qualche ora con un buon equilibrio tra sentimenti e ironia, con poco dramma e una dolcezza nel raccontare la profondità delle emozioni, tra caffè e abbracci, leggetelo.
Ringrazio l’autrice per la copia arc e Mary Vitrano che ha tradotto il romanzo, sono già pronta per la prossima storia.
Quattro stelle e mezzo.
Conosciamo Bodhi, un giovane dolcissimo che è stato assunto al caffè e che sembra non andare molto a genio al suo capo, Caleb. La difficoltà di Bodhi è qualcosa di così profondo e radicato nel suo essere a causa di una pessima infanzia e giovinezza con due nonni ottusi e odiosi che hanno impedito a lui e al fratello Ravi, di avere tutti gli aiuti necessari per vivere al meglio la loro condizione di non udenti.
Caleb è un uomo che è stato mollato e il video della sua rottura è diventato virale così ora tutti vengono al locale per spettegolare e vedere la sua reazione, l’afflusso fa bene al bar ma il morale di Caleb è sempre più rabbioso e infastidito, neanche il fratello Wren e gli amici sembrano essere d’aiuto, capisce anche che prendersela con Bodhi è sbagliato…
Cit. Il ragazzo curvò le labbra nel sorriso più tenero che Caleb avesse mai visto nella sua vita mentre azzerava la distanza tra loro con le braccia aperte. Lui entrò in quello spazio come se avesse perso il libero arbitrio e seppellì il viso nel suo collo. Respirando, poté sentire l’odore della caffetteria – intenso, di caffè macinato e delle spezie della cucina di Jori. Ma c’era anche qualcos’altro sotto. Qualcosa di nuovo, fresco e unicamente di Bodhi. Portò le braccia intorno alla sua vita, e si trovò a stringerle così forte che iniziarono a tremargli. Fine cit.
Due personaggi davvero ben caratterizzati, Bodhi è facile da amare, con Caleb ci vuole più tempo ma nel momento in cui capisce che sta sbagliando e si rimette in carreggiata amerete anche lui.
Entrambi hanno delle difficoltà e delle ferite nell’animo, il passato li ha resi quello che sono adesso, Bodhi con le sue paure e la difficoltà nella gestione delle emozioni, Caleb e i suoi scatti rabbiosi, entrambi devono fare un bel percorso su se stessi per riuscire a vivere meglio, perché meritano una vita felice.
Se già conoscete lo stile della Lindsey sapete cosa trovare, se non l’avete mai letta potete trovare due protagonisti ben gestiti, una serie di personaggi secondari che sono certa avranno spazio in futuro, parlo di Ravi il gemello di Bodhi e Wren, il fratello di Caleb, la loro piccola cerchia di amici tra cui Jori, Peyton e Hudson, Khai, Luke, tutti importanti e sempre pronti ad aiutare gli amici.
Se cercate una lettura che vi faccia passare qualche ora con un buon equilibrio tra sentimenti e ironia, con poco dramma e una dolcezza nel raccontare la profondità delle emozioni, tra caffè e abbracci, leggetelo.
Ringrazio l’autrice per la copia arc e Mary Vitrano che ha tradotto il romanzo, sono già pronta per la prossima storia.
Quattro stelle e mezzo.
July 1, 2023
4 stars
Another lovely story form E.M. Lindsey
This book is the first of a new series, based on Deaf guys who works at BrewBiz cafè. These guys are not totally strangers, they appeared briefly in Nothing to Lose: Caleb, in fact, is a dear friend of Peyton. I'm very glad we get to meet him again in this book (I would have liked to also see Hudson, but giving his reserved personality, it was fine that he did not show up).
At the beginning of the book, Caleb is dumped by his narcissistic boyfriend and a video of their arguing goes viral; Bodhi is a student working at the cafè and he doesn't hesitate to help Caleb with his panic attack caused by the argument.
Bodhi is a sweet, caring, lonely, introverted young man who suffered a trauma in the past and who hasn't found his place in the Deaf community yet. On top of being Deaf (like his twin) Bodhi is also autistic.
He's got a crush on Caleb but he treats him poorly, he often snaps at him and he's annoyed by Bodhi's slow signing.
Through the first part of the book, I really despised him for that: why couldn't he be sympathetic with Bodhi like he was with literally anyone else?
Luckily, when they start spending time together, Caleb finally notices how amazing and precious Bodhi is; he's still a little bit of a jerk, but Bodhi is so brave asking for what he wants and for what he needs from their relationship.
The sex scenes revolve around the fact that Bodhi is a virgin and his journey to explore is sexuality is different from other people: I loved that Caleb could always understand Bodhi's necessities and let him free to be himself, he was always completely respectful of Bodhi's needs.. All their interactions were really really sweet.
What prevented me from giving 5 stars (besides the fact that Cameron was an asshole and deserved to pay for what he did to Caleb):
I didn't really feel the romance that usually have a huge role in Lindsey's book: Bodhi and Caleb never go on a date, never give each other little presents; I feel like Calb should have wooed Bodhi more (like when he calls him sweetheart and Bodhi is pleasantly surprised).
The epilogue is beautiful and, from what the author wrote on the last pages, it seems that they planned at least 3 books; the first one will be about Wren (and we got a glimpse of his love interest, I think it will be very good!) and I look forward for Jori's story.
Recommended.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
Another lovely story form E.M. Lindsey
This book is the first of a new series, based on Deaf guys who works at BrewBiz cafè. These guys are not totally strangers, they appeared briefly in Nothing to Lose: Caleb, in fact, is a dear friend of Peyton. I'm very glad we get to meet him again in this book (I would have liked to also see Hudson, but giving his reserved personality, it was fine that he did not show up).
At the beginning of the book, Caleb is dumped by his narcissistic boyfriend and a video of their arguing goes viral; Bodhi is a student working at the cafè and he doesn't hesitate to help Caleb with his panic attack caused by the argument.
Bodhi is a sweet, caring, lonely, introverted young man who suffered a trauma in the past and who hasn't found his place in the Deaf community yet. On top of being Deaf (like his twin) Bodhi is also autistic.
He's got a crush on Caleb but he treats him poorly, he often snaps at him and he's annoyed by Bodhi's slow signing.
Through the first part of the book, I really despised him for that: why couldn't he be sympathetic with Bodhi like he was with literally anyone else?
Luckily, when they start spending time together, Caleb finally notices how amazing and precious Bodhi is; he's still a little bit of a jerk, but Bodhi is so brave asking for what he wants and for what he needs from their relationship.
The sex scenes revolve around the fact that Bodhi is a virgin and his journey to explore is sexuality is different from other people: I loved that Caleb could always understand Bodhi's necessities and let him free to be himself, he was always completely respectful of Bodhi's needs.. All their interactions were really really sweet.
What prevented me from giving 5 stars (besides the fact that Cameron was an asshole and deserved to pay for what he did to Caleb):
I didn't really feel the romance that usually have a huge role in Lindsey's book: Bodhi and Caleb never go on a date, never give each other little presents; I feel like Calb should have wooed Bodhi more (like when he calls him sweetheart and Bodhi is pleasantly surprised).
The epilogue is beautiful and, from what the author wrote on the last pages, it seems that they planned at least 3 books; the first one will be about Wren (and we got a glimpse of his love interest, I think it will be very good!) and I look forward for Jori's story.
Recommended.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
July 14, 2023
Affogato was a true grumpy (to the point of being a jerk)/sunshine romance.
Affogato was initially created as a serial, which has now been combined in to a book. I'm often a bit wary of these as sometimes what works in a serial format doesn't always carry over to novel form if not edited properly. I'm very happy to say that Affogato is an example of one that works. If I hadn't known otherwise, I would have thought it was written just as a normal novel.
Affogato was a lovely read. It was almost impossible to not fall instantly in love with Bodhi, especially after you learn what he and his brother have been through. He is sunshine personified, and his horrific experiences haven't changed that.
It is because of his beautiful personality that Caleb's arrogance and mistreatment of Bodhi makes such an impact. Although Caleb has his own sad history, and he has the humiliating experience with his ex haunting him, there is still no real excuse for how he treats Bodhi in the beginning. Of course, Caleb comes to realise how badly he is treating Bodhi and he adjusts his behaviour.
What I thought was interesting, and something that actually raised my opinion of Caleb, is that although he modifies his behaviour with Bodhi, and he understands and is remorseful about what a jerk he has been to him, he still needs to remind himself that he needs to be patient with Bodhi, and that his patience for Bodhi doesn't automatically extend to everyone else without conscious thought. He has an epiphany about how he is treating Bodhi, but that light bulb moment is for Bodhi alone. Despite his behaviour modification, at his heart, Caleb is still a bit of a jerk, and he's all the more relatable for it.
I really liked that Caleb wasn't suddenly a new and improved version of himself, at his heart, he was still a jerk in some ways, but he consciously modified his behaviour and understood how his actions were impacting others. This made him human, and there was no way the reader could doubt his love and devotion to Bodhi.
Affogato was a fun read that also set up the future books and pairings. I'm really looking forward to reading those too. This series looks like it will be a good one!
February 26, 2025
Oh man this book had me in my feels. I related a lot to bodhi's autism and experience a lot of similar artistic traits that he does and seeing him struggle in the beginning of this book and have his feelings hurt wrecked me, okay. I was literally crying while reading this.
I do wish this one was a little bit longer so we can get a little bit more time to really appreciate these two falling for each other. It did feel a little bit fast to me and I think part of that is because I wasn't sure exactly what the timeline was. I know kind of that I don't think it's longer than a few months for the whole book, until we get to the very end. I am questioning whether or not the main part of this book takes place over a couple weeks though and if so that's a little too fast for my liking and I would have appreciated more distinction about timelines and such.
I also kind of wish we got more depth into Caleb. I feel like a lot of time was spent on Bodhi and understanding his background but Caleb was kind of thrown out there and then never talked about again. Also where the heck did Ravi go? He was really present in the first part of this book and then he kind of just fell off the face of the earth.
Even though I'm complaining a little bit I really did like this one. I read the whole thing in one day which is not typical of me for ebooks. I really was just immediately drawn in and couldn't stop picking it up throughout my day off.
Indian American gay autistic deaf MC, white gay deaf MC, multiple queer secondary characters including explicit trans and gray romantic rep.
I do wish this one was a little bit longer so we can get a little bit more time to really appreciate these two falling for each other. It did feel a little bit fast to me and I think part of that is because I wasn't sure exactly what the timeline was. I know kind of that I don't think it's longer than a few months for the whole book, until we get to the very end. I am questioning whether or not the main part of this book takes place over a couple weeks though and if so that's a little too fast for my liking and I would have appreciated more distinction about timelines and such.
I also kind of wish we got more depth into Caleb. I feel like a lot of time was spent on Bodhi and understanding his background but Caleb was kind of thrown out there and then never talked about again. Also where the heck did Ravi go? He was really present in the first part of this book and then he kind of just fell off the face of the earth.
Even though I'm complaining a little bit I really did like this one. I read the whole thing in one day which is not typical of me for ebooks. I really was just immediately drawn in and couldn't stop picking it up throughout my day off.
Indian American gay autistic deaf MC, white gay deaf MC, multiple queer secondary characters including explicit trans and gray romantic rep.
February 13, 2025
I started reading this months ago and stopped on chapter 1 because of the cheating thing. But that's so not a huge part of this story at all.
First, I loved how the Deaf community is represented. Loved it. The dialogue. The challenges. The emotional elements. The day to day life stuff. Really good stuff.
I also thought by the end that Bodhi and Caleb were so cute together.
But/and, I spent too much time waiting for the book to end instead of enjoying the way these two got together. Like I needed more grovelling from Caleb because he was just so unnecessarily mean to Bodhi. Rude even. Bodhi was so sweet the entire book and I felt at some points I didn't want him to get with Caleb because of it.
And while the sounds and lack there of were very well documented and described, I kinda wanted more description and explanation at some points. Like it took me a while to get that Caleb wasn't also a student but was much older than Bodhi. I didn't get that until the end. Also, Bodhi's ethnic background felt like it wasn't explained until later.
I didn't like Ravi either. I felt like he was not a good brother to Bodhi. And I didn't like Caleb's twin either though he seemed like a better brother at least. Just felt like we could have had more there.
There are also a lot of characters here. Too many to keep track of and it was confusing.
Not sure I'll continue with this series.
First, I loved how the Deaf community is represented. Loved it. The dialogue. The challenges. The emotional elements. The day to day life stuff. Really good stuff.
I also thought by the end that Bodhi and Caleb were so cute together.
But/and, I spent too much time waiting for the book to end instead of enjoying the way these two got together. Like I needed more grovelling from Caleb because he was just so unnecessarily mean to Bodhi. Rude even. Bodhi was so sweet the entire book and I felt at some points I didn't want him to get with Caleb because of it.
And while the sounds and lack there of were very well documented and described, I kinda wanted more description and explanation at some points. Like it took me a while to get that Caleb wasn't also a student but was much older than Bodhi. I didn't get that until the end. Also, Bodhi's ethnic background felt like it wasn't explained until later.
I didn't like Ravi either. I felt like he was not a good brother to Bodhi. And I didn't like Caleb's twin either though he seemed like a better brother at least. Just felt like we could have had more there.
There are also a lot of characters here. Too many to keep track of and it was confusing.
Not sure I'll continue with this series.
August 24, 2023
I dont know what I was expecting from this book, but it definitely wasn't this!
•
This is the first book I've read from this author, and while I was wary about the 3rd person POV, I instantly fell in love with the writing. It was probably the best 3rd person POV I've ever read, to be honest.
•
It starts out with Caleb being the biggest grump and negative person in the café. But he has good reasons to be, especially with his boyfriend publicly dumping him.
But then Bodhi's there and helping him become a better, happier person.
•
Both characters are deaf, and just like blindness, deafness is a spectrum. So Bodhi falls under the 'deaf' category but can use hearing aids.
•
And, oh my goodness, it was really intriguing to learn more about autism as Bodhi is autistic. I have a nephew who's
autistic and I've never fully understood what it's like for him. I have a better understanding now thanks to this book, and Bodhi.
•
Highly recommend this one! It's low angst with an adorable HEA.
•
This is the first book I've read from this author, and while I was wary about the 3rd person POV, I instantly fell in love with the writing. It was probably the best 3rd person POV I've ever read, to be honest.
•
It starts out with Caleb being the biggest grump and negative person in the café. But he has good reasons to be, especially with his boyfriend publicly dumping him.
But then Bodhi's there and helping him become a better, happier person.
•
Both characters are deaf, and just like blindness, deafness is a spectrum. So Bodhi falls under the 'deaf' category but can use hearing aids.
•
And, oh my goodness, it was really intriguing to learn more about autism as Bodhi is autistic. I have a nephew who's
autistic and I've never fully understood what it's like for him. I have a better understanding now thanks to this book, and Bodhi.
•
Highly recommend this one! It's low angst with an adorable HEA.
October 17, 2025
Questo libro aveva molto potenziale che, per me, non è stato pienamente realizzato. I personaggi protagonisti, e molti dei secondari (almeno quelli positivi) appartengono alla comunità dei non udenti, della quale io prima non conoscevo per nulle le molte sfaccettature che la Lindsey ci presenta, cosa di cui sono grata. Quindi è stato molto istruttivo sotto questo aspetto e mi è piaciuto molto la parte in cui descrive le discriminazioni subite e proprio le difficoltà giornaliere che affrontano le persone non udenti.
Però secondo me la caratterizzazione dei personaggi non è così esaustiva. Bodhi è autistico, ma questa sua condizione non mi è piaciuta come è stata rappresentata (sono anche molto sensibile sull'argomento). Inoltre spesso ho avuto la sensazione che mi mancassero dei pezzi, come se fosse uno spin-off di qualcosa di diverso.
La storia d'amore, che non è proprio hate to love, ma solo persona poco simpatica/persona esageratamente remissiva, non mi ha emozionata e anche il gap age secondo me non è gestito così bene.
Insomma buone idee ma che potevano essere realizzate meglio
Però secondo me la caratterizzazione dei personaggi non è così esaustiva. Bodhi è autistico, ma questa sua condizione non mi è piaciuta come è stata rappresentata (sono anche molto sensibile sull'argomento). Inoltre spesso ho avuto la sensazione che mi mancassero dei pezzi, come se fosse uno spin-off di qualcosa di diverso.
La storia d'amore, che non è proprio hate to love, ma solo persona poco simpatica/persona esageratamente remissiva, non mi ha emozionata e anche il gap age secondo me non è gestito così bene.
Insomma buone idee ma che potevano essere realizzate meglio
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