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Margins
“Didn’t know you were gonna sell me a love story.”
“Is that what I did?”
Restless and full of doubt amid a divorce from his high school sweetheart, single father Alex Ramos goes for an early morning walk and stumbles upon a garage sale held by Elijah Caplinger, who’s been tasked with clearing out his late grandfather’s home. Later, when Alex finds that a couple of the classic novels he bought have a series of handwritten notes in the margins, he goes back to Elijah for help piecing together the rest of the story. Together they become intrigued by a relationship that began in the margins of books and the shadows of 1940s Los Angeles, and they learn more than they could have expected about the lasting effects of well-intentioned secrets.
While caught up in the romance of the story they’re reading, Alex and Elijah contend with perceived sins of the past, multi-generational hurt and healing, and the hope and fear inherent in loving out loud. And while they each grieve the time they’ve lost, they remember they still have the promise of a happily ever after that wasn’t all that true in a love story written long ago.
A sexy and tender MM romance featuring flirtatious banter, emotional hurt/comfort, adult friendship, first times, a second chance at love, and gratitude for the brave, quiet people who came before.
“Is that what I did?”
Restless and full of doubt amid a divorce from his high school sweetheart, single father Alex Ramos goes for an early morning walk and stumbles upon a garage sale held by Elijah Caplinger, who’s been tasked with clearing out his late grandfather’s home. Later, when Alex finds that a couple of the classic novels he bought have a series of handwritten notes in the margins, he goes back to Elijah for help piecing together the rest of the story. Together they become intrigued by a relationship that began in the margins of books and the shadows of 1940s Los Angeles, and they learn more than they could have expected about the lasting effects of well-intentioned secrets.
While caught up in the romance of the story they’re reading, Alex and Elijah contend with perceived sins of the past, multi-generational hurt and healing, and the hope and fear inherent in loving out loud. And while they each grieve the time they’ve lost, they remember they still have the promise of a happily ever after that wasn’t all that true in a love story written long ago.
A sexy and tender MM romance featuring flirtatious banter, emotional hurt/comfort, adult friendship, first times, a second chance at love, and gratitude for the brave, quiet people who came before.
- GenresM M RomanceContemporary
321 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2024
7 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 29, 2025
I don’t remember getting this book I suddenly found on my Kindle but I enjoyed it immensely. It’s a wonderful book (reminds me a bit of Of sunlight and stardust) . Elijah and Alex’s story is cute and touching here and there but the insta love and the cheesiness stopped it from being a 5 stars read. The real story of the book imo, the couple that made it memorable was actually Peter and Edgar. Their story is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, it burrows into your heart and stays there for the longest time. I cried buckets with their beautiful love and their struggles. Love the author’s prose and writing skills and I hope they’ll give us many more books with more depth.
November 30, 2024
This story has one of the most adorable meet-cutes ideas I've come across in a while.
Alex, while grappling with the fall out of his recent divorce and separation of his family, stops by a garage sale being run by the handsome Elijah. Alex purchases a bunch of books from the garage sale only to realise later that they hold a collection of hand written mysterious love notes, leading to him to start up a friendship with Elijah whilst they explore the love story and the mystery of who it belongs to.
Considering this was a debut effort I think that there is a lot of good here.
Unfortunately, there were some continuity errors which I think could have been handled with a little more editing. A small one that hit me significantly early on in the story was where neither the reader nor Alex know Elijahs name and only refer to him as 'Hoodie' and but the name was accidentally slipped in before introductions have occured. Another example includes Alex and Elijah having a discussion about how a development in their investigation could negatively impact on the story Alex is planning to write about the case (he's a professional writer). This is despite the original conversation between Alex and Elijah about a story being written never occuring in the first place, and then this storyline just getting dropped entirely without it ever being addressed again.
Even Alex coming to terms with his sexuality was kind of oddly paced and not clearly disclosed to the audience. There didn't really seem to be any inner reflection on the fact that he was potentially gay or what coming to terms with your sexuality later in life means and it seemed like he was just embarking on a physical relationship with a man before the story started to address the idea that he was considering he could be gay.
Honestly, I struggled a little to connect emotionally to the characters. Sometimes their emotional reactions didn't really make sense to me in the context of the story. I would be reading along and suddenly someone is responding angrily or sadly and I'm just kind of left scratching my head as to how we got there.
I started off initially liking Elijah, but I found parts of his character arc to be kind of unpleasant and his behaviours gave me the ick. Elijah and Alex have a conversation about Alex coming out to his ex-wife and daughter and telling them about their relationship, despite them not even having had a discussion yet about their relationship. Then when Alex says that he is scared and isn't ready yet, Elijah proceeds to basically ghost him for a few weeks. Oh but it's okay, cause Elijah tells him he isn't issuing an ultimatum....despite his behaviour doing exactly that. It felt like an exceptionally shitty thing to do to someone you care about who is in the middle of a massive self discovery and completely entitled to take it at whatever pace he wants. Despite all that the story never seems to acknowledge this as being a super problematic thing to do.
Eventually things get resolved but the damage was kind of done already for me.
This was still a cute enough story that held alot potential but I think it just didn't quite live up to it which is a shame.
Alex, while grappling with the fall out of his recent divorce and separation of his family, stops by a garage sale being run by the handsome Elijah. Alex purchases a bunch of books from the garage sale only to realise later that they hold a collection of hand written mysterious love notes, leading to him to start up a friendship with Elijah whilst they explore the love story and the mystery of who it belongs to.
Considering this was a debut effort I think that there is a lot of good here.
Unfortunately, there were some continuity errors which I think could have been handled with a little more editing. A small one that hit me significantly early on in the story was where neither the reader nor Alex know Elijahs name and only refer to him as 'Hoodie' and but the name was accidentally slipped in before introductions have occured. Another example includes Alex and Elijah having a discussion about how a development in their investigation could negatively impact on the story Alex is planning to write about the case (he's a professional writer). This is despite the original conversation between Alex and Elijah about a story being written never occuring in the first place, and then this storyline just getting dropped entirely without it ever being addressed again.
Even Alex coming to terms with his sexuality was kind of oddly paced and not clearly disclosed to the audience. There didn't really seem to be any inner reflection on the fact that he was potentially gay or what coming to terms with your sexuality later in life means and it seemed like he was just embarking on a physical relationship with a man before the story started to address the idea that he was considering he could be gay.
Honestly, I struggled a little to connect emotionally to the characters. Sometimes their emotional reactions didn't really make sense to me in the context of the story. I would be reading along and suddenly someone is responding angrily or sadly and I'm just kind of left scratching my head as to how we got there.
I started off initially liking Elijah, but I found parts of his character arc to be kind of unpleasant and his behaviours gave me the ick. Elijah and Alex have a conversation about Alex coming out to his ex-wife and daughter and telling them about their relationship, despite them not even having had a discussion yet about their relationship. Then when Alex says that he is scared and isn't ready yet, Elijah proceeds to basically ghost him for a few weeks. Oh but it's okay, cause Elijah tells him he isn't issuing an ultimatum....despite his behaviour doing exactly that. It felt like an exceptionally shitty thing to do to someone you care about who is in the middle of a massive self discovery and completely entitled to take it at whatever pace he wants. Despite all that the story never seems to acknowledge this as being a super problematic thing to do.
Eventually things get resolved but the damage was kind of done already for me.
This was still a cute enough story that held alot potential but I think it just didn't quite live up to it which is a shame.
November 30, 2024
Ehm okay wow. This was such a special, warm, tender, slow, emotional, poetic, cozy, sensual, different, dreamy, sweet, butterflies inducing, heartbreaking and uplifting debut novel.
Maybe it was the setting in which I was reading it - under the fluffiest blanket, a cat on my lap, tea in hand, rain outside and fire crackling sounds - that made this reading experience so special, maybe it was the book itself - probably a bit of both - but either way: this was beautiful.
It wasn’t an easy read in the sense that I had to reread a lot of passages to make sure I got what everyone was thinking and feeling because the writing - which was kind of dreamy with a lot of things not said directly, only implied - forced you to think along. The characters were imperfect and sometimes behaved in a way I didn’t like, while also making sure to get the point across, that sometimes there aren’t any bad guys, just people who make (sometimes questionable) decisions based on their past issues and what they think is best in the moment.
And it was a different read in the sense that the tropes - especially the bi/gay awakening - were handled in a way I never read before, leaving a lot of room for the reader to piece things together. But it worked, at least for me, and gave the story an extra interesting layer.
So yeah, this wasn’t perfect and I’m confident in saying this book won’t be for everyone but for me the beautiful story telling and writing - lyrical while remaining natural - and the whole vibe the book gave me far outweighed the niggles I had throughout. 4,5⭐️
Maybe it was the setting in which I was reading it - under the fluffiest blanket, a cat on my lap, tea in hand, rain outside and fire crackling sounds - that made this reading experience so special, maybe it was the book itself - probably a bit of both - but either way: this was beautiful.
It wasn’t an easy read in the sense that I had to reread a lot of passages to make sure I got what everyone was thinking and feeling because the writing - which was kind of dreamy with a lot of things not said directly, only implied - forced you to think along. The characters were imperfect and sometimes behaved in a way I didn’t like, while also making sure to get the point across, that sometimes there aren’t any bad guys, just people who make (sometimes questionable) decisions based on their past issues and what they think is best in the moment.
And it was a different read in the sense that the tropes - especially the bi/gay awakening - were handled in a way I never read before, leaving a lot of room for the reader to piece things together. But it worked, at least for me, and gave the story an extra interesting layer.
So yeah, this wasn’t perfect and I’m confident in saying this book won’t be for everyone but for me the beautiful story telling and writing - lyrical while remaining natural - and the whole vibe the book gave me far outweighed the niggles I had throughout. 4,5⭐️
November 27, 2024
Newly divorced Alex gets some used books from a garage sale and discovers and decades old love story in the margins of the book, so naturally he goes back to the cute boy running the garage sale to tell him. Naturally, they fall in love while exploring this secret love story from the 1940s in the margins of classic novels.
I knew I’d love this when it opened with E. M. Forster’s A Room With a View which is one of my favorite classics (though no mention of Forster’s repressed queerness nor his book Maurice, which feels like a missed opportunity). This book was so tender and cathartic and sweet. It was nice to see protagonists who are a little bit older than their 20s come into themselves and have this sort of growth. I did wish it was dual POV bc I wanted to see inside Elijah’s head, but it’s FINE. It also needed another run through of edits bc I found a few errors, but I still think Landry Brennan is a great author, just a few oversights.
The romance is sweet and tentative and the dialogue feels realistic. Overall, really strong debut and such an interesting premise!
I knew I’d love this when it opened with E. M. Forster’s A Room With a View which is one of my favorite classics (though no mention of Forster’s repressed queerness nor his book Maurice, which feels like a missed opportunity). This book was so tender and cathartic and sweet. It was nice to see protagonists who are a little bit older than their 20s come into themselves and have this sort of growth. I did wish it was dual POV bc I wanted to see inside Elijah’s head, but it’s FINE. It also needed another run through of edits bc I found a few errors, but I still think Landry Brennan is a great author, just a few oversights.
The romance is sweet and tentative and the dialogue feels realistic. Overall, really strong debut and such an interesting premise!
December 13, 2024
Parts of it were beautiful and parts didn’t grab my whole focus. 2.5 stars xx
January 3, 2025
it's literally actually difficult for me to talk about how much I love this book because this story already feels like it's such a part of me.
this book is a lot of things and is probably going to mean a lot of different things to different people but two aspects of this book struck me the most: Alex's journey of self understanding and self acceptance and the quite, gentle love story between Alex & Elijah.
Brennan manages to convey Alex's journey with intense emotionality but without melodramatic plot devices, over the top villains, or inflicting intense trauma on the characters. the intense emotionality present in the story comes, rather, from characters (especially Alex as the only narrator) who feel deeply and love openly. also, Brennan's writing style was perfectly suited to this story and helped to set the melancholic but hopeful mood perfectly.
Alex & Elijah's love story is one of those lovely & quiet meeting of souls that is so affecting in how simple it is. Two people meet in their neighborhood, connect over a book, become friends, and fall in love. but because Brennan was so effective getting across the importance of small moments, setting scenes, and the effect that simple life events can have emotionally - this book becomes so much larger than its parts.
i loved this, i hope others love it too, and props for a child that reads as their age lol
this book is a lot of things and is probably going to mean a lot of different things to different people but two aspects of this book struck me the most: Alex's journey of self understanding and self acceptance and the quite, gentle love story between Alex & Elijah.
Brennan manages to convey Alex's journey with intense emotionality but without melodramatic plot devices, over the top villains, or inflicting intense trauma on the characters. the intense emotionality present in the story comes, rather, from characters (especially Alex as the only narrator) who feel deeply and love openly. also, Brennan's writing style was perfectly suited to this story and helped to set the melancholic but hopeful mood perfectly.
Alex & Elijah's love story is one of those lovely & quiet meeting of souls that is so affecting in how simple it is. Two people meet in their neighborhood, connect over a book, become friends, and fall in love. but because Brennan was so effective getting across the importance of small moments, setting scenes, and the effect that simple life events can have emotionally - this book becomes so much larger than its parts.
i loved this, i hope others love it too, and props for a child that reads as their age lol
June 24, 2024
couldn’t put it down
This story starts strong and never waivers. Brennan has created characters we care about from the jump and would love to meet in real life. She invites readers in and holds our curiosity page after page.
Brennan’s prose is lyrical and natural, her characters reveal themselves at the perfect pace, and she strikes just the right balance of ease and tension. She perfectly captures the rush of new love and the pain of old secrets and how both can ripple far beyond us.
This is a stunning first novel. 10 out of 10, do recommend!
This story starts strong and never waivers. Brennan has created characters we care about from the jump and would love to meet in real life. She invites readers in and holds our curiosity page after page.
Brennan’s prose is lyrical and natural, her characters reveal themselves at the perfect pace, and she strikes just the right balance of ease and tension. She perfectly captures the rush of new love and the pain of old secrets and how both can ripple far beyond us.
This is a stunning first novel. 10 out of 10, do recommend!
June 22, 2024
Lovely Debut Novel
This debut novel by Landry Brennon was heartfelt and beautiful! The meet cute of the two MCs was brilliant and how they discovered a love letters within the margins of old books belonging to late family members. As the MCs work together to unfold the mystery of the love notes, Elijah discovers a somewhat sad history about his great grandfather and how choices made decades before shaped his own life.
This book is filled with self discoveries, a timeline of societal views and acceptance, a mystery solved and a beloved HEA. Excellent writing for a debut novel!
This debut novel by Landry Brennon was heartfelt and beautiful! The meet cute of the two MCs was brilliant and how they discovered a love letters within the margins of old books belonging to late family members. As the MCs work together to unfold the mystery of the love notes, Elijah discovers a somewhat sad history about his great grandfather and how choices made decades before shaped his own life.
This book is filled with self discoveries, a timeline of societal views and acceptance, a mystery solved and a beloved HEA. Excellent writing for a debut novel!
March 16, 2025
This was super sweet but indulgently long, detailed, and almost purple in its prose. My eyes welled up a bit over the older story within this one a couple of times. Some very poignant passages, but a little too long for my tastes. I think this could have made a truly knock out novella. I think I read it too fast. It was meant to be savored, but I think I would have had a hard time doing so because there wasn't enough angst to propel me forward. Very beautiful but honestly kinda sapphic-coded.
December 3, 2024
this book couldve been so much better. it had a quiet intimacy that I loved, but it also had instalove/attraction that I didn't understand there was a lack of depth. for the most part we saw someone elses love story and how that impacted the 2 MMC, but we never really got any real conflict between the 2 MMC.
June 28, 2024
Absolutely loved it. It was so sweet, and heartbreaking in the way anything involving historical queerness inevitably will be, but ultimately uplifting as well. I loved Alex and Elijah. You’ll find me seated for everything this author does.
March 20, 2025
DNF at 3%
This book didn’t hit the mark for me, mostly because the prose felt too slow, overly introspective and descriptive. The story spends a lot of time lingering on Alex’s internal thoughts and mundane details (staring at a jacket, describing the fog) which came across as unnecessary, given I prefer a tighter, more plot-focused narrative. The story was hard to follow and grab my attention: it felt meandering and repetitive, with not enough forward momentum nor clear conflict. The reflective/lyrical style came off as overwrought and self-indulgent, and I found myself wishing for a more direct and concise approach to storytelling.
This book didn’t hit the mark for me, mostly because the prose felt too slow, overly introspective and descriptive. The story spends a lot of time lingering on Alex’s internal thoughts and mundane details (staring at a jacket, describing the fog) which came across as unnecessary, given I prefer a tighter, more plot-focused narrative. The story was hard to follow and grab my attention: it felt meandering and repetitive, with not enough forward momentum nor clear conflict. The reflective/lyrical style came off as overwrought and self-indulgent, and I found myself wishing for a more direct and concise approach to storytelling.
September 2, 2024
I really enjoyed this debut novel a lot but for the love of god someone please tell the author the plural of vinyl is not vinyls!!! My only complaint is that lol
January 8, 2025
Fucking phenomenal
These characters were so good together and the plot felt incredibly unique and well done
I'm going to go cry a little more and hopefully I'll be able to move on
These characters were so good together and the plot felt incredibly unique and well done
I'm going to go cry a little more and hopefully I'll be able to move on
June 21, 2024
Such a sweet love story! Can't wait to see more from you!!!
August 21, 2024
** 3.5 Stars **
January 8, 2025
I am having feelings about this book. It’s 1:45am, and I finished it. Just… feelings. The writing was just beautiful, soft with so much intent behind every word. I loved the characters and watching them interact and fall in love, and Alex learning what he wanted and Elijah telling him to take what he wanted, that he could be selfish. Alex’s divorce and relationship with Cassidy was handled so well and in a way I never see in books. His daughter was great.
And of course, the love story.
It was just a beautiful book that I just so happened to pick up at a time I could relate far too much. Really beautiful read. Oh to learn about and fall in love while doing it.
And of course, the love story.
It was just a beautiful book that I just so happened to pick up at a time I could relate far too much. Really beautiful read. Oh to learn about and fall in love while doing it.
September 29, 2024
Margins is a beautiful debut, deftly twining its two love stories together with explorations of community, history, family, desire, choice, and queerness. It touches on the generational weight that our choices have, while never putting that burden on its characters, who are allowed to be themselves and make the best choices for their own lives, loves, and families with the best options they have at the time.
Alex and Elijah have a tremendously introspective romance, something that stems from the way they meet and the stories they're learning together, but it ends up being exactly what they need in order to connect and decide what direction their own story will take. Over the course of the novel uncertainly transforms into clarity as surely as the fog burns away on Alex's early morning walks and it's a joy to take that journey along with them.
(xposted to amazon and storygraph)
Alex and Elijah have a tremendously introspective romance, something that stems from the way they meet and the stories they're learning together, but it ends up being exactly what they need in order to connect and decide what direction their own story will take. Over the course of the novel uncertainly transforms into clarity as surely as the fog burns away on Alex's early morning walks and it's a joy to take that journey along with them.
(xposted to amazon and storygraph)
November 28, 2024
What a great book with a story within a story. A brillant hook to keep readers invested in this story. I love a fiction story with elements of fact. Queer history intertwined with the two MC's older generations just made this the best.I couldn't put this book down and I thought all the introduced elements flowed smoothly starting with the garage sale and ending in the best HEA. I really recommend this.
June 24, 2024
I had the great joy of beta reading this book and managed to fall in love with both, but really all four, mains during that process. It's a really lovely book with two queer love stories for you to get invested in, and such a lovely journey of self-discovery that you'll find yourself holding your breath and wanting to reach out to take Alex's hand.
June 28, 2024
Alex & Elijah’s story is sweet and comforting. As they unfold a love story hidden in the margins, you truly feel as they begin to fall for each other. A wonderful story that will tug at your heartstrings and maybe stir a fire or two here and there. Brava, Landry!
June 28, 2024
Moving
The author did an amazing job with these characters. This book, with the love- forbidden love, secret love, new love- with the LGBTQIA+ history woven in, was very different than the stories I usually read. But I am very glad that I decided to give this new author a chance!
The author did an amazing job with these characters. This book, with the love- forbidden love, secret love, new love- with the LGBTQIA+ history woven in, was very different than the stories I usually read. But I am very glad that I decided to give this new author a chance!
July 25, 2024
I devoured this story in just 3 sittings, it was so captivating and compelling. It's definitely a comfort story i will come back to whenever I need it. I will cherish and think about Alex and Elijah forever 🩷
February 7, 2025
Someone recommended this book on the MM Romance subreddit in a thread with book with less than 150 Goodreads reviews. The writing style was different than I normally gravitate towards, but I absolutely adored the story and cried so much.
June 20, 2024
I loved this book. It was beautiful. Looking forward to more from this author.
July 1, 2024
god this was so fucking good
July 8, 2024
This is a phenomenal book with two stories, past and present. The stories are intricately woven with with humor and and the characters are loveable and relatable. I recommend it highly!
September 29, 2024
5 Stars.
November 26, 2024
A very sweet and beautiful story. It took me a while to get used to the present tense writing, but overall I enjoyed the book!
December 5, 2024
Amazing debut novel. Poignant story about how difficult it was to be homosexual a few generations ago and how even now it can be a difficult thing to accept about yourself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews