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Almost
Not yet published
Expected 1 Jul 27When Anthony Cavet first sees Oliver – blond, tanned Oliver – he knows. Instantly. For the first time in his life Anthony doesn’t feel different. He feels seen.
On meeting again, ten years later, it's the same. At least for Anthony. But his true feelings – despite the overwhelming strength of them – aren't reciprocated.
So Anthony changes. Changes the very core of himself in order to get what he's always wanted –Oliver.
But in a new city and new environment, Oliver is struggling to be himself too. He needs to fit in, and somehow he doesn’t ever seem to be the right shape. The only person he can be himself with is Anthony.
If Anthony changes and wins Oliver’s heart, he’ll have everything he wants – but can never be Anthony again. And if Oliver doesn’t know the person he’s falling in love with is Anthony, how can he be his true self?
This is a love story. Almost.
On meeting again, ten years later, it's the same. At least for Anthony. But his true feelings – despite the overwhelming strength of them – aren't reciprocated.
So Anthony changes. Changes the very core of himself in order to get what he's always wanted –Oliver.
But in a new city and new environment, Oliver is struggling to be himself too. He needs to fit in, and somehow he doesn’t ever seem to be the right shape. The only person he can be himself with is Anthony.
If Anthony changes and wins Oliver’s heart, he’ll have everything he wants – but can never be Anthony again. And if Oliver doesn’t know the person he’s falling in love with is Anthony, how can he be his true self?
This is a love story. Almost.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 1, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There is a particular kind of heartbreak in being loved, just not as yourself.
Almost explores that idea through Anthony, a character who has spent his life feeling slightly out of place. When he meets Oliver, he experiences something close to completeness. But time passes, feelings change, and Anthony finds himself confronting a question that is much harder than whether Oliver will love him back: how much of himself is he willing to change to make that happen?
The concept of Anthony changing his appearance gives this story an unsettling edge. Wanting to be attractive to someone is one thing; reshaping yourself around what you think they might want is another. At what point does the pursuit of love become a form of self-abandonment?
What interests me most is that this isn’t simply a story about unrequited love. It’s about identity, belonging, and the dangerous hope that if we can just become the right version of ourselves, someone will finally choose us.
The title feels painfully appropriate. Anthony is almost himself, almost what Oliver wants, almost close enough to the love he imagines. There is something cruel about living in that space between what you feel and what you can actually have.
This sounds like the kind of book that leaves you thinking about its central question long after the romance itself has faded from view. Because being loved is wonderful, naturally. Having to audition for that love by becoming someone else is another matter entirely.
Almost explores that idea through Anthony, a character who has spent his life feeling slightly out of place. When he meets Oliver, he experiences something close to completeness. But time passes, feelings change, and Anthony finds himself confronting a question that is much harder than whether Oliver will love him back: how much of himself is he willing to change to make that happen?
The concept of Anthony changing his appearance gives this story an unsettling edge. Wanting to be attractive to someone is one thing; reshaping yourself around what you think they might want is another. At what point does the pursuit of love become a form of self-abandonment?
What interests me most is that this isn’t simply a story about unrequited love. It’s about identity, belonging, and the dangerous hope that if we can just become the right version of ourselves, someone will finally choose us.
The title feels painfully appropriate. Anthony is almost himself, almost what Oliver wants, almost close enough to the love he imagines. There is something cruel about living in that space between what you feel and what you can actually have.
This sounds like the kind of book that leaves you thinking about its central question long after the romance itself has faded from view. Because being loved is wonderful, naturally. Having to audition for that love by becoming someone else is another matter entirely.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Loved it from the first page. Interesting concept and characters. One I will be pressing into my friends’ hands!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Disclaimer: Thank you to Penguin Random House UK / Transworld Publishing / Bantam for giving me an ARC to review!
Almost by Georgia Pactat is a contemporary fiction book that asks "If you could change how you look to be in a romantic relationship with the person you've known since childhood, would you?"
The book follows a character called Anthony who can alter his appearance and refers to sets of altered appearances as 'skins'. Trouble arises when he reconnects with Oliver, an old friend (that his parents previously moved him away from) and falls for him. And Oliver falls for June, unbeknownst that June is Anthony's more feminine form.
At times I felt as though Pactat's writing style was a little cold and unemotive especially during the earlier scenes. The book starts out with Anthony meeting Oliver as a child and getting closer until Anthony's parents choose to move away, and then we get a ten year time skip to Anthony starting university and reconnecting with Oliver.
All of the characters are complex and have clear motives. Not all of them are the most likeable, but it adds layers to the other characters that somewhat explains why they are how they are.
In conclusion, Almost is a very promising debut novel from Georgia Pactat, and I'm very interested in seeing what she writes next. I do unfortunately worry about transphobic/homophobic rhetoric potentially affecting the release of this book and hope this can be a successful debut.
Almost by Georgia Pactat is a contemporary fiction book that asks "If you could change how you look to be in a romantic relationship with the person you've known since childhood, would you?"
The book follows a character called Anthony who can alter his appearance and refers to sets of altered appearances as 'skins'. Trouble arises when he reconnects with Oliver, an old friend (that his parents previously moved him away from) and falls for him. And Oliver falls for June, unbeknownst that June is Anthony's more feminine form.
At times I felt as though Pactat's writing style was a little cold and unemotive especially during the earlier scenes. The book starts out with Anthony meeting Oliver as a child and getting closer until Anthony's parents choose to move away, and then we get a ten year time skip to Anthony starting university and reconnecting with Oliver.
All of the characters are complex and have clear motives. Not all of them are the most likeable, but it adds layers to the other characters that somewhat explains why they are how they are.
In conclusion, Almost is a very promising debut novel from Georgia Pactat, and I'm very interested in seeing what she writes next. I do unfortunately worry about transphobic/homophobic rhetoric potentially affecting the release of this book and hope this can be a successful debut.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews