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wake
Not yet published
Expected 7 Apr 26a love story that ripples deep
Waves
Dylan’s anchor line was cut a long time ago. His life can be packed up and moved on at a moment’s notice. But when the one thing he holds on to—his beloved improv studio—starts to go under, he knows he needs to find safe harbour.
One year. Room and board.
All Dylan has to do is pretend to be someone he isn’t. Play a role that matters far more than it should.
Currents
A charged glance with a stranger outside a Wellington theatre.
A pull he can’t explain, leaving him breathless and disoriented.
Trent is intense, private, and grieving something he refuses to define.
Living together drags and lifts in equal measure. Secrets that feel dangerous. Late nights where thoughts sink too deep. Shared meals, a silly chicken, a riotous grandpa.
A slow, intimate pull towards shore.
Undertow
But grief can drag you out too deep.
Dylan finds himself caught between truth and tenderness, between who he’s pretending to be and who he might finally become. When the past surfaces, they must face what they’ve each been running from . . . and the love they could have if they stop.
~ ~ ~wake is an intimate, slow-burn gay romance about grief, found family, and the courage to stay anchored when the sea keeps pulling you away.
It’s a story of emotional healing and quiet devotion, of two men learning that love doesn’t rescue you from the storm. It teaches you how to stand in it.
Perfect for readers who
• forced proximity
• grief-to-healing romance
• emotionally restrained slow burn
• found family warmth
• mature, literary contemporary love stories
Waves
Dylan’s anchor line was cut a long time ago. His life can be packed up and moved on at a moment’s notice. But when the one thing he holds on to—his beloved improv studio—starts to go under, he knows he needs to find safe harbour.
One year. Room and board.
All Dylan has to do is pretend to be someone he isn’t. Play a role that matters far more than it should.
Currents
A charged glance with a stranger outside a Wellington theatre.
A pull he can’t explain, leaving him breathless and disoriented.
Trent is intense, private, and grieving something he refuses to define.
Living together drags and lifts in equal measure. Secrets that feel dangerous. Late nights where thoughts sink too deep. Shared meals, a silly chicken, a riotous grandpa.
A slow, intimate pull towards shore.
Undertow
But grief can drag you out too deep.
Dylan finds himself caught between truth and tenderness, between who he’s pretending to be and who he might finally become. When the past surfaces, they must face what they’ve each been running from . . . and the love they could have if they stop.
~ ~ ~wake is an intimate, slow-burn gay romance about grief, found family, and the courage to stay anchored when the sea keeps pulling you away.
It’s a story of emotional healing and quiet devotion, of two men learning that love doesn’t rescue you from the storm. It teaches you how to stand in it.
Perfect for readers who
• forced proximity
• grief-to-healing romance
• emotionally restrained slow burn
• found family warmth
• mature, literary contemporary love stories
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 7, 2026
3 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Anyta Sunday
114 books2,742 followersSpecialising in slow-burn romances where emotions reign, intimacy lingers, and chemistry sizzles—stories that leave you holding your breath and cheering for love, with just a splash of spice to sweeten the journey.
Check out my website:
Contact: http://www.anytasunday.com/?page_id=386
Für deutsche Leser:
http://www.anytasunday.de/
In italiano:
http://www.anytasunday.it/
Check out my website:
Contact: http://www.anytasunday.com/?page_id=386
Für deutsche Leser:
http://www.anytasunday.de/
In italiano:
http://www.anytasunday.it/
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 25, 2026
Oh man, no one is sadder than me that this didn’t really work for me 🥺
I have a feeling this is one of those books you either get or you don’t - and sadly, I fall into the second category.
Because objectively, there’s nothing wrong here. The story, the characters, the themes - they’re all there. But the way it was told just never quite let me in.
A lot of that comes down to the fragmented storytelling and the writing style. It has this very magical, dreamlike quality, which I can absolutely see being intentional but for me, it made everything feel just out of reach. I struggled to grasp what was happening, who these characters really were, what had already happened versus what was unfolding in the moment.
I couldn’t fully feel their supposedly instant, special connection, because I was too busy trying to orient myself. Where are we? When are we? How much time has passed? What exactly is being said - or left unsaid? Nothing is straightforward, and while that ambiguity is clearly part of the design, it left me feeling like I was wading through fog, constantly trying to make out shapes that never fully came into focus.
And that’s the thing: I was so occupied with piecing together the prose, the atmosphere, the scattered narrative clues, that I lost sight of the actual emotional core. Of who these characters are. Of what this story is meant to make me feel.
There were moments where that fog lifted and the Anyta Sunday I know and love shone through: the quirky, endearing characters, that sense of lightness even alongside heavier themes, the vivid sense of time and place. But those moments felt fleeting rather than foundational and made the switch back to ‘what actually is going on here??’ even more difficult.
That said, I can absolutely see this working for other readers. It handles heavy themes with care - grief, shared trauma, the way emotions can build and build until they spill over, leaving everything scattered and raw and with that fragile hope of finding someone who will sit with you in that mess and help you gather the pieces again.
You can also really tell how much Wellington must mean to the author, because the sense of place felt really intimate and personal. And the ending was lovely 🥹
All in all, though, this felt very different from Anyta Sunday’s usual storytelling and writing style. I struggled to find the elements that have drawn me so strongly to her books in the past and I’m genuinely sad about it.
I think I need to go reread one of my old Anyta Sunday favorites now 🥺
Thank you to GRR for the chance to read this arc, this is my honest opinion!
I have a feeling this is one of those books you either get or you don’t - and sadly, I fall into the second category.
Because objectively, there’s nothing wrong here. The story, the characters, the themes - they’re all there. But the way it was told just never quite let me in.
A lot of that comes down to the fragmented storytelling and the writing style. It has this very magical, dreamlike quality, which I can absolutely see being intentional but for me, it made everything feel just out of reach. I struggled to grasp what was happening, who these characters really were, what had already happened versus what was unfolding in the moment.
I couldn’t fully feel their supposedly instant, special connection, because I was too busy trying to orient myself. Where are we? When are we? How much time has passed? What exactly is being said - or left unsaid? Nothing is straightforward, and while that ambiguity is clearly part of the design, it left me feeling like I was wading through fog, constantly trying to make out shapes that never fully came into focus.
And that’s the thing: I was so occupied with piecing together the prose, the atmosphere, the scattered narrative clues, that I lost sight of the actual emotional core. Of who these characters are. Of what this story is meant to make me feel.
There were moments where that fog lifted and the Anyta Sunday I know and love shone through: the quirky, endearing characters, that sense of lightness even alongside heavier themes, the vivid sense of time and place. But those moments felt fleeting rather than foundational and made the switch back to ‘what actually is going on here??’ even more difficult.
That said, I can absolutely see this working for other readers. It handles heavy themes with care - grief, shared trauma, the way emotions can build and build until they spill over, leaving everything scattered and raw and with that fragile hope of finding someone who will sit with you in that mess and help you gather the pieces again.
You can also really tell how much Wellington must mean to the author, because the sense of place felt really intimate and personal. And the ending was lovely 🥹
All in all, though, this felt very different from Anyta Sunday’s usual storytelling and writing style. I struggled to find the elements that have drawn me so strongly to her books in the past and I’m genuinely sad about it.
I think I need to go reread one of my old Anyta Sunday favorites now 🥺
Thank you to GRR for the chance to read this arc, this is my honest opinion!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Beautiful, messy, emotional... I can totally see why this book has been paired with rock (one of my favourite books ever).
This is a story about grief, love, forgiveness, and family. I honestly feel like I don't have the right words to convey how much I loved this story, and I don't want to spoil a single thing!
We get everything from Dylan's POV (I would have liked some of Trent's but I can live without it) and the hurt he feels comes at you in waves. For the first 60% of the book it just those little waves that break around your ankles and don't really move you too much but you know they're there. After that point, the waves get bigger and bigger until you find yourself ugly crying at how fucking sad this story is for everyone involved. wake is the perfect title too because the grief and pain isn't just touching Dylan, it also affects Trent, Grandpa, Dylan's mum, Holly...
The slow burn between Dylan and Trent is messy and complicated. Their draw to each other is palpable right from the start. You feel Dylan's hurt at the difficulty of the situation. You can feel Trent's conflicted emotions, even though we aren't sure why they're quite so conflicted for the longest time.
The funeral for the chicken is one of the best things I've ever read when it comes to expressing grief. Grandpa's speech was emotional, Trent's definitely had me crying, but Dylan's absolutely broke me. I just want to give all of these characters the biggest hug. I also really enjoyed the humour which brought the perfect amount of levity to a situation that was feeling so incredibly heavy.
I loved the ending of this book too, and although I would happily keep reading about Trent and Dylan, I think it was a really hopeful and happy point to end on.
Genuinely hope there will be more books to come in this series because Anyta writes these emotional situations so, so well. This will definitely be going on my bookshelf of favourites alongside rock.
*****
I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review
This is a story about grief, love, forgiveness, and family. I honestly feel like I don't have the right words to convey how much I loved this story, and I don't want to spoil a single thing!
We get everything from Dylan's POV (I would have liked some of Trent's but I can live without it) and the hurt he feels comes at you in waves. For the first 60% of the book it just those little waves that break around your ankles and don't really move you too much but you know they're there. After that point, the waves get bigger and bigger until you find yourself ugly crying at how fucking sad this story is for everyone involved. wake is the perfect title too because the grief and pain isn't just touching Dylan, it also affects Trent, Grandpa, Dylan's mum, Holly...
The slow burn between Dylan and Trent is messy and complicated. Their draw to each other is palpable right from the start. You feel Dylan's hurt at the difficulty of the situation. You can feel Trent's conflicted emotions, even though we aren't sure why they're quite so conflicted for the longest time.
The funeral for the chicken is one of the best things I've ever read when it comes to expressing grief. Grandpa's speech was emotional, Trent's definitely had me crying, but Dylan's absolutely broke me. I just want to give all of these characters the biggest hug. I also really enjoyed the humour which brought the perfect amount of levity to a situation that was feeling so incredibly heavy.
I loved the ending of this book too, and although I would happily keep reading about Trent and Dylan, I think it was a really hopeful and happy point to end on.
Genuinely hope there will be more books to come in this series because Anyta writes these emotional situations so, so well. This will definitely be going on my bookshelf of favourites alongside rock.
*****
I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was the most fantastic book, and I loved every minute of it. It felt amazing to be fully immersed is something, and I accidentally read half of it the very first night. It's not a long read but it's 100% worth it, and I loved the writing. It was beautiful and mysterious and angsty and perfect. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews