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Portrait of a Stranger
Three chance encounters. Two boys. First love.
It's the last Saturday before the summer holidays and Charlie is wandering aimlessly around central London, avoiding his home. His eldest brother is getting married; his mother is in a pre-wedding frenzy; he hasn't even begun sketching for his final college assignment; and he just broke up with his girlfriend over the phone. He might also be accidentally shoplifting.
Pip thinks about his Good-looking Thief for days after they meet. It's a peculiar sort of melancholia, more suitable for the memory of a summer many years ago than the briefest weekend encounter. He imagines what might have been if he'd managed to ask for the Stranger's number, Instagram, anything. It wouldn't have to be like that—just because Pip fancied him on the spot didn't mean they couldn't be mates.
Who is he kidding? He doesn't know how to befriend people and anyway, what would Pip have in common with someone so posh?
A mesmerizing story of friendship and love, 'Portrait of a Stranger' will have you falling for Charlie and Pip as they navigate a new world of self-discovery and adulthood.
It's the last Saturday before the summer holidays and Charlie is wandering aimlessly around central London, avoiding his home. His eldest brother is getting married; his mother is in a pre-wedding frenzy; he hasn't even begun sketching for his final college assignment; and he just broke up with his girlfriend over the phone. He might also be accidentally shoplifting.
Pip thinks about his Good-looking Thief for days after they meet. It's a peculiar sort of melancholia, more suitable for the memory of a summer many years ago than the briefest weekend encounter. He imagines what might have been if he'd managed to ask for the Stranger's number, Instagram, anything. It wouldn't have to be like that—just because Pip fancied him on the spot didn't mean they couldn't be mates.
Who is he kidding? He doesn't know how to befriend people and anyway, what would Pip have in common with someone so posh?
A mesmerizing story of friendship and love, 'Portrait of a Stranger' will have you falling for Charlie and Pip as they navigate a new world of self-discovery and adulthood.
426 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 26, 2018
12 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Rose Brookins
2 books23 followersRose hails from the glorious Midwestern United States, and will gladly agree with you that northern Wisconsin is the most beautiful place on earth.
Despite the geography of her birth, Rose was an Anglophile before she was in double digits. She spent her childhood making up stories about the little-known sixth Bennet sister (her name was Cassandra) while attending Hogwarts (she thought she was a Ravenclaw, but has since realized she's a proud Hufflepuff).
In college she had the opportunity to study abroad in Canterbury where she spent most of her time skipping class to travel. She's chuffed to bits that her first published novel takes place in her favorite city in the world.
Rose has been writing with her best friend Mina for as long as they have known each other. While their chance meeting may not rock the world the way Lennon and McCartney's did, it has certainly had a profound on their lives: in the past five years they've put over half a million words on paper and travelled to nine different countries together. 'Portrait of a Stranger' is their first published novel, with many more to come.
You are invited to follow along on their adventures on their blog and social media:
www.leboncanon.wordpress.com
Twitter and Instagram: @leboncanon
Despite the geography of her birth, Rose was an Anglophile before she was in double digits. She spent her childhood making up stories about the little-known sixth Bennet sister (her name was Cassandra) while attending Hogwarts (she thought she was a Ravenclaw, but has since realized she's a proud Hufflepuff).
In college she had the opportunity to study abroad in Canterbury where she spent most of her time skipping class to travel. She's chuffed to bits that her first published novel takes place in her favorite city in the world.
Rose has been writing with her best friend Mina for as long as they have known each other. While their chance meeting may not rock the world the way Lennon and McCartney's did, it has certainly had a profound on their lives: in the past five years they've put over half a million words on paper and travelled to nine different countries together. 'Portrait of a Stranger' is their first published novel, with many more to come.
You are invited to follow along on their adventures on their blog and social media:
www.leboncanon.wordpress.com
Twitter and Instagram: @leboncanon
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 28, 2019
Holy flippin’ hamburgers, y’all. My read this week grabbed me by the readerly hair and didn’t let go, even long after I finished reading. (I try to stay ahead on my reviews, so I read this bad boy over a month ago, and I can attest… these characters burrowed into my heart and won’t be going anywhere any time soon!) Portrait of a Stranger by Rose Brookins & Mina Petkova is a gorgeous LGBTQ+ (m/m) romance that straddles the lines between YA and NA with a grace and maturity not out of steps with its characters ages, but written so bloody phenomenal you won’t feel like you’re in the heads of overly young boys. It definitely avoids that sometimes “watered-down” quality found in the YA/NA genres. (Not to say all YA/NA authors fall into that category, but there are some who sacrifice the quality of their writing for internal realism and, for this reader, it tends to be a put off.)
Portrait of a Stranger doesn’t follow the typical “rules” when it comes to plot and story structure, either. In fact, it bucks them quite a bit. But guess what? That’s one of the reasons I adored it. While I get there are reasons behind the predictable character arcs and plot structures, the simple fact remains… they’re predictable. Sure, there are a million different ways to attack them, but it was refreshing to read something where I didn’t know what to expect because the authors didn’t follow any of the normal conventions.
I won’t give specifics as to how they “buck” the system because, quite frankly, that would steal the intrigue of reading something so far out of the norm. Just know… this is a unique read that doesn’t hold itself accountable to traditional publishing standards. And you’ll love it. Without question.
Then there are the characters themselves. Hot dayum. I fell so hard for these boys it isn’t even funny. This is going to be one of those reads where I hold onto the characters for years to come. I even bought the book despite being provided an ARC to review because… I had to own it. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I’m only saddened it isn’t available in print. If it were? I’d pay all the necessary shipping to get it off to both Rose and Mina, so I could have an autographed copy to add to my authorly “soul” collection. 🤣
Portrait of a Stranger doesn’t follow the typical “rules” when it comes to plot and story structure, either. In fact, it bucks them quite a bit. But guess what? That’s one of the reasons I adored it. While I get there are reasons behind the predictable character arcs and plot structures, the simple fact remains… they’re predictable. Sure, there are a million different ways to attack them, but it was refreshing to read something where I didn’t know what to expect because the authors didn’t follow any of the normal conventions.
I won’t give specifics as to how they “buck” the system because, quite frankly, that would steal the intrigue of reading something so far out of the norm. Just know… this is a unique read that doesn’t hold itself accountable to traditional publishing standards. And you’ll love it. Without question.
Then there are the characters themselves. Hot dayum. I fell so hard for these boys it isn’t even funny. This is going to be one of those reads where I hold onto the characters for years to come. I even bought the book despite being provided an ARC to review because… I had to own it. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I’m only saddened it isn’t available in print. If it were? I’d pay all the necessary shipping to get it off to both Rose and Mina, so I could have an autographed copy to add to my authorly “soul” collection. 🤣
March 19, 2019
Full disclosure: I am related to one of the authors, but I believe my review would be the same even if I wasn’t. Portrait of a Stranger is a really good read. The evocative descriptions of London made me feel like I will recognize the place if I ever travel there. The writing sparkles in its articulateness; the dialogue is believable and emotionally intelligent—as are the characters. What I especially like about Charlie and Pip (particularly Pip) is their deep-hearted bent toward kindness and generosity, wanting for everyone nothing less than they wish for themselves. Love is not a zero-sum game for these guys. And why should it be? In a world where relationships are generally expected to produce more losers than winners, their’s is a hopeful perspective. Portrait of a Stranger does not shy away from issues of family and relationships, identity and orientation and yet manages, in all that, to be a sweet and persuasive love story. The authors picture a world where good people doing good things is no anomaly. We are left hoping Charlie and Pip will get what they deserve; and hoping we will get a sequel to their beginning chapter.Portrait of a StrangerPortrait of a Stranger
December 29, 2018
A really lovely story.
The journey of Pip and Charlie is wonderful coming of age story. It's a great read.
The journey of Pip and Charlie is wonderful coming of age story. It's a great read.
February 10, 2019
What a quietly lovely story, a nice break from the angst & pain I typically read :) I loved the slow development of the relationship, and Charlie's slow realization about himself. I prefer stories where the main characters don't fall instantly in love & in bed, so this was right up my alley! The way this relationship unfolded was so organic and genuine. I got completely swept up in these boys and their story. I enjoyed making the journey with them.
January 11, 2019
This book was too YA for me. What I mean by that? Usually when I read a Young Adult novel, the writing is more mature than the characters or the storyline would call for. When sometimes the MC's are wise beyond their age. That is what I'm used to, but that doesn't mean that kind of portrayal of young adults is accurate.
Here I felt the exact opposite. Often times the dialogue felt childish (Not that there was much dialogue). They're 20-21 year old boys, I expected a bit more maturity. But in reality it is probably more accurate than what I usually read.
As you would expect from a YA book, steamy scenes were very few, and very vague. The narration concentrated more on the feelings and not the act itself.
I loved Charlie's quiet realization about himself. It was a very slow, but bone-deep understanding. That first part dragged a bit for me, and I blame the countless unnecessary additional tidbits about everything and nothing. From Charlie's uncle to Pip's employer. I didn't care about them. And other mindless things. This book could've been half as long without that stuff in it. And more enjoyable.
The writing is actually good: the smooth flow of the sentences, the rhythm of words, etc. A book that mentions Call Me By Your Name or The Charioteer can't be bad, can it?
Here I felt the exact opposite. Often times the dialogue felt childish (Not that there was much dialogue). They're 20-21 year old boys, I expected a bit more maturity. But in reality it is probably more accurate than what I usually read.
As you would expect from a YA book, steamy scenes were very few, and very vague. The narration concentrated more on the feelings and not the act itself.
I loved Charlie's quiet realization about himself. It was a very slow, but bone-deep understanding. That first part dragged a bit for me, and I blame the countless unnecessary additional tidbits about everything and nothing. From Charlie's uncle to Pip's employer. I didn't care about them. And other mindless things. This book could've been half as long without that stuff in it. And more enjoyable.
The writing is actually good: the smooth flow of the sentences, the rhythm of words, etc. A book that mentions Call Me By Your Name or The Charioteer can't be bad, can it?
May 10, 2019
This is such a lovely story, it is so well written I could barely put it down from the moment I read the first page to the very last words. Rose and Mina created great, vivid characters that make you hope and wish with them as life happens around them. I absolutely loved getting to know Charlie and Pip and follow them through their amazing friendship to the start of their relationship.
An amazing coming of age story, I can highly recommend it to anyone who likes a realistic, beautiful story between two young people in the middle of life.
An amazing coming of age story, I can highly recommend it to anyone who likes a realistic, beautiful story between two young people in the middle of life.
April 13, 2019
Excellent first joint venture
Really enjoyed this! Pip and Charlie's story felt very authentic, and often times reminded me of the flurry of emotions I often felt at the beginning of relationships past. The dual perspective, flipping between both protagonists as the focused third person, was a fresh approach for me as a reader, and one that worked very well. And, having visited London recently, the setting felt familiar: my memory would spark up and transport me back to my visit as various places were mentioned. Would probably read this again, and have already been suggesting this to many friends.
Really enjoyed this! Pip and Charlie's story felt very authentic, and often times reminded me of the flurry of emotions I often felt at the beginning of relationships past. The dual perspective, flipping between both protagonists as the focused third person, was a fresh approach for me as a reader, and one that worked very well. And, having visited London recently, the setting felt familiar: my memory would spark up and transport me back to my visit as various places were mentioned. Would probably read this again, and have already been suggesting this to many friends.
June 7, 2019
This slowburn romance between the characters Pip and Charlie is a delight from start to finish. They grow as people, they fall in love, all sorts of good things with plenty of pining and drama throughout. And sometimes they act quite cute.
I loved these main characters, as well as much of the supporting cast.
The writing style was wonderful, with excellent imagery transporting me to London. The most interesting part of the writing style was how the timeline felt. Chapters will skip ahead days in their lives, but characters will often recall events that happened in the near and distant past.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. It was a nice and easy to get into, read leisurely over a vacation. I would definitely recommend you give it a read!
I loved these main characters, as well as much of the supporting cast.
The writing style was wonderful, with excellent imagery transporting me to London. The most interesting part of the writing style was how the timeline felt. Chapters will skip ahead days in their lives, but characters will often recall events that happened in the near and distant past.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. It was a nice and easy to get into, read leisurely over a vacation. I would definitely recommend you give it a read!
February 25, 2019
From the moment Charlie and Pip meet, they are pulled into the interweaving fate of lovers, even if they don’t realize it. The story is a wonderful novel with a nice slice-of-life overlay that warms your heart with each page. The character interactions play on witty banter with a mix of sincere truths that helped the boys grow to understand and value each other. The authors show many of the hardships and tender moments in the early stages of new relationships whether it’s friend or more. Each chapter brought on new experiences for the main characters and revealed a bit more of their past struggles and ultimately kept me coming back for more.
The authors did an amazing job portraying the struggles of young love intermixed with the harsh realities of self-acceptance. I look forward to reading future works by this writing duo.
The authors did an amazing job portraying the struggles of young love intermixed with the harsh realities of self-acceptance. I look forward to reading future works by this writing duo.
January 28, 2019
This is a well-written story without complication of the sweet first love between two boys from different backgrounds. The authors wrote good characters with authentic emotions. There’s plenty of opportunity to read tragedy; this was a respite and a pleasure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2020
I fell so hard for these characters. What a fresh and enjoyable read! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, because I'm not usually into this kind of story, but it drew me in and kept me all the way to the end.
March 2, 2019
So charming and the characters, Pip and Charlie, are so likable. Such a sweet, gentle love story.
July 28, 2019
OMG I absolutely LOVED this book. It's rare for a book to grab you as hard as this one did, but yeah... it grabbed me. These authors did a wonderful job with the characters. Their personalities are so unique and so very, very believable. And their relationship was heartwarming and genuine. I cannot recommend this book enough!
September 14, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet and light coming of age love story. Each character was flawed but still very love-able. Switching each chapter between the 2 protagonists' views was refreshing and done very well. Would recommend for someone looking for an easy, tender, and well-written story with relatable characters to whisk you away.
January 14, 2021
So so so good!!!
I thoroughly adored this book to pieces. The story, the characters, the dialogue, all of it was just so wonderful. 10/10 recommend this book
I thoroughly adored this book to pieces. The story, the characters, the dialogue, all of it was just so wonderful. 10/10 recommend this book
March 31, 2020
Don't tell anybody, but I totally read the first half of this book when I should have been working. I started it in my morning free time, then just... kept going. >.> There's inherent tension built into coming out stories, and it's one I thoroughly enjoy, even when it's done poorly - and this book did it EXCELLENTLY. I did have to take a break about two thirds in because it was too many feels for me, but picked it back up and was duly rewarded with a lovely resolution.
It's a quiet book, full of subtext and musings, which balances out the stark emotions involved in first love and coming out. The earnestness of the leads, which can, when wielded by lesser authors, read as simple or disingenuous, is balanced out by normal human flaws and mistakes, but not enough to rob the book of it's sheer hopefulness.
And, as others have said, the sense of place was PHENOMENAL. I've been to London a few times, which perhaps helped, but not to any of the places mentioned, so perhaps not. And it wasn't just the metropolitan locale - even the living spaces felt very real, and done without overbearing descriptive prose.
My one piece of concrit is relatively subjective - It got very referential in the last third-ish, with thick paragraphs and significant dialog about books, movies, music of the time. As someone who wasn't familiar with any of the references, I was... the best way I can put it is that I felt left out. I didn't know what the cool kids were talking about, and I could tell that it was very important to the character development but I didn't know specifically why. It's utterly realistic, though - As a queer person coming out in high school in the 90s, my courage was vastly dependent on the music I was listening to - so I'm not mad about it. Just wish I'd been part of it, you know?
It's a quiet book, full of subtext and musings, which balances out the stark emotions involved in first love and coming out. The earnestness of the leads, which can, when wielded by lesser authors, read as simple or disingenuous, is balanced out by normal human flaws and mistakes, but not enough to rob the book of it's sheer hopefulness.
And, as others have said, the sense of place was PHENOMENAL. I've been to London a few times, which perhaps helped, but not to any of the places mentioned, so perhaps not. And it wasn't just the metropolitan locale - even the living spaces felt very real, and done without overbearing descriptive prose.
My one piece of concrit is relatively subjective - It got very referential in the last third-ish, with thick paragraphs and significant dialog about books, movies, music of the time. As someone who wasn't familiar with any of the references, I was... the best way I can put it is that I felt left out. I didn't know what the cool kids were talking about, and I could tell that it was very important to the character development but I didn't know specifically why. It's utterly realistic, though - As a queer person coming out in high school in the 90s, my courage was vastly dependent on the music I was listening to - so I'm not mad about it. Just wish I'd been part of it, you know?
July 30, 2019
This was a really fun read, super engaging and easy to lose myself in. It’s about two young men in London who meet by chance, then start a friendship that develops into more. Charlie is an art student from a wealthy family and Pip is a working-class woodworker, and I loved how the authors wove in the boys’ class differences and creative work. Like Charlie, I studied art in college, so I loved the talk about his projects, and Pip’s aesthetic and creativity were also described really well. And the descriptions of building desire are so good! I love crush feelings, and the authors did a great job of writing them. Super sweet romance story, and definitely a must read for m/m romance fans.
June 26, 2020
Unfortunately for me, I couldn't finish the story. It's okay, I liked the first part more than the second but as soon as I understood there wasn't going to be any plot-twists or serious conflicts, I just couldn't make myself read it up to the end.
I would like that to be a little bit darker because the characters seemed too nice to me. The piece with Charlie coming-out (to himself) was good, that was an interesting plot-line, good dynamics. But after that, there was no dynamics at all and I just dropped.
I would like that to be a little bit darker because the characters seemed too nice to me. The piece with Charlie coming-out (to himself) was good, that was an interesting plot-line, good dynamics. But after that, there was no dynamics at all and I just dropped.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews