Life, Love, and Other Inequalities

Rio Riendo #1

by Argentina Ryder

Matt Ruiz is a man with a plan for professional advancement; he won’t be a teacher forever.

But when he’s asked to help out a new substitute teacher, his already packed schedule is thrown into overload. Even worse, Sawyer Evans, the new substitute, is cute. Really cute. Matt finds himself questioning whether or not his carefully plotted life will bring him happiness. But Sawyer lives by the seat of his pants, and Matt can't let go of his unbending attitude. Will a chance at romance give him the courage to chase his dreams of love?

As much as Matt loves his life, he’s alone on this journey. If he can’t learn to let love into his heart, what’s the point of pushing himself to be the best?

Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, M M Romance, Fiction, Queer, Contemporary Romance

178 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2021

Reviews

[Bookreader87(Amanda) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Matt is a middle school teacher. He is dedicated to his family and leads a goal orientated life. He has his whole career path mapped out.

Sawyer is a free spirit who travels with his truck, his dog and RV to different places to experience new things. He finds himself in a small town in Texas where he takes on a job as a substitute teacher. (*It should be noted that there is a prequel to this book that is about Sawyer and his life before ending up here. I have not read it but it is out there*)

This is where he and Matt meet. They build a friendship that eventually develops into more. However, Matt has his career path set out for himself and finds Sawyer's presence throwing him off.

I tried with this book. I really did but it was hard to get through. It is filled with such mundane every day moments that I found myself getting bored. As for the romance portion...it is a really slow burn with little spark. It just did not work for me. I also found Matt to be an unlikable MC. He was just really too wound up tight for my liking.

*I was provided an ARC by GRR, this is my honest review. *

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably closer to a 2.5 star read for me, which I HATE doing to a new author so I want to make it clear that this is a me thing not a book thing. There was a few missing word issues in the beginning but overall it was well written and I really enjoyed all the characters. For me though it felt bogged down by the minutia of a day-to-day life of a teacher, and I never really felt any chemistry between the MCs (it read a little more real life without as much flirty banter and I just need things like that in my romance). My recommendation is to still pick it up if it looks interesting to you and if you’re more into the slice of life stories where the romance is a smaller aspect of the overall story.

[Lelyana's Reviews]

Not my cuppa


DNF at 10 percent mark

[Maddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very insightful book into a teacher's daily life. Very insightful. Like each detail is covered. Got to admit it was pretty mundane and boring. Sorry teachers everywhere, but not what I am looking for in a romance novel, unless it is romance novel about a teacher and a textbook or a whiteboard, which would be really weird and disturbing, but close enough. So the plot was out. It was dragging one moment, full of action the next, then dragging again. Matt was an incredibly unlikable character. Sawyer obviously has a mild form of battered wife syndrome. No, there was no domestic violence, but Matt was an A-hole for most of the book and Sawyer just let it slide, so you must admit there are some parallels I was not happy to notice. "Sorry" doesn't fix things and doesn't make a good excuse for future behavior either. Of course, they do get their HAE after all, but the road to it was long, boring and a bit shallow frankly. I didn't see that much of real feelings except some rambling about "the one" and spending the rest of their life together, but there was just no spark between them or it was so faint and small that it skipped my radar. Sorry, but I did not enjoy this story at all. Except for Grandma and Grandpa. Those two rock.

**I was provided an ARC of this book from the GRR for an honest review**

[Bethany (Bee_TheBibliophile) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt Ruiz has his whole life mapped out - his goals, ambitions, everything in a spreadsheet where he can check things off and track his progress. But, when Sawyer Evans comes to town and takes a long-term substitute teaching job in Matt’s department, it throws Matt’s plans into a tailspin.


While Sawyer was supposed to be a short-term assignment for Matt on top of his already packed schedule, Matt realizes that he’s not as inconvenienced by Sawyer’s appearance in his life as he originally thought. Sawyer opens Matt’s eyes to a less planned lifestyle and makes him question whether he can change his plans.

Matt and Sawyer’s relationship is slow burn, low angst and largely closed door. They were sweet, but I feel like we missed a lot of their relationship development - they went from friends to lovers slowly and we saw that, but when they got together, we got less insight into their relationship. I wanted more - I wanted to see them happy, see them overcome challenges and see them loving each other. I also felt like Matt made a lot fewer concessions in their relationship than Sawyer did...Matt got everything he wanted and didn’t have to change much but Sawyer compromised on his lifestyle to make things work between them.

Love, Life and Other Inequalities wasn’t my favorite read of the year, but I definitely think it had potential - this is a debut title after all - and I’m looking forward to future releases from this author.

[~Nicole~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been 4 stars but Matt was a coward prick and he didn’t grovel enough, in my opinion . That and some grammar errors really put me off .

[Sarah C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Love and Other Inequalities is slightly different from other books that I've read in the MM romance genre. For one thing, it doesn't focus as much on the relationship between Matt and Sawyer. While this is a very central part of the novel, the novel seems to put more focus on Matt and him learning to open himself to love rather than the actual love story itself. This marks the book as unique and actually very appealing to me.

Matt is a middle school math teacher who has his life all mapped out. He has spreadsheets and he has plans and he is determined that nothing is going to derail this. He is the kind of person that is always going. He's teaching. He's finishing grad school. He's making trips to the ranch to help the grandparents who raised him and his younger sister. He's a good person, but he is the kind of man who definitely focuses on the big picture, overlooking the smaller details that will help him become more fulfilled.

Sawyer is his opposite. He's free-spirited. He's a chef who has been travelling the country, making youtube videos about food from different regions. He goes with the flow and accepts life as it comes at him. He meets Matt when he takes a long term (six to eight week) substitute teaching position at Matt's school.

The beginning of their relationship is not great. Matt slightly resents having to help Sawyer, a tune that quickly changes because of the fact that Sawyer pulls his own weight and genuinely wants to work and do his job well. A friendship grows between them and then, slowly, it develops to something more. We see a lot of the build up of the relationship and we get peeks into the relationship itself, but again, while the relationship is a pillar of the story, it is not the story. Therefore, there are times when we don't see Sawyer for awhile. The story doesn't seem to be lacking when he's not on page though, because Matt is a strong enough character to support the tale.

This book almost feels like a coming of age novel - only set in the characters twenties. Watching Matt find himself, open himself up to love, learn to appreciate the details and not just the big picture, and learn that his dreams and life can exist outside of a spreadsheet is wonderful. It is lower steam than a lot of books in this genre, though there are some heated scenes between our two main characters. I recommend it for someone who wants something a little different from their MM romance or people just a little curious about the genre.

** ARC PROVIDED BY GRR **

[Georgette B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very sweet story about Mateo “Matt” Ruiz and Sawyer Evans. Although this is listed as a romance, the relationship was more of a secondary character. The book focused largely on Mateo and his relationship with the people in his life, of which Sawyer is one. We see his relationship with his family, his coworkers, and his students.

Matt who is a planner, has his life mapped out-with spreadsheets. He is very self conscious about other people’s opinions of him so much so that he almost lets it ruin his relationship with Sawyer. Although he is not closeted he is very resistant to anyone actually seeing him in a relationship.

Where Matt has order, Sawyer has ordered chaos. Sawyer goes where the wind and his curiosity takes him. After breaking up with his ex-boyfriend and selling his restaurant, he buys an RV and makes his way to TX, takes on the role of long-term substitute teacher and set about to learn about the cuisine of the region.

Matt is resentful at first of the burden of having to “babysit” Sawyer and does a very poor job of hiding it. But he slowly realizes Sawyer is an asset to the school and he is super cute!!! His attraction to Sawyer does not bode well for his perceived need to hide his sexual orientation (or rather let everyone believe his is a eunuch) at work.

It would appear that EVERYONE in Matt’s life has more insight into his behavior and his thoughts than he does. Even Sawyer, after only knowing him for four months, predicts how Matt will abandon their relationship when there is scrutiny.

True to Sawyer’s prediction, when the going got uncomfortable, Matt got going, hurting Sawyer in the process. As Matt continues to drive Sawyer away, his grandparents, sister, fellow coaches, fellow teachers, and his principal try to talk sense into Matt to no avail. After Matt experiences a family tragedy, he becomes more withdrawn and is again pulled out of his thoughts by his coworkers. Eventually, he comes to the conclusion that he needs Sawyer in his life and goes to seek forgiveness.

I enjoyed this story, but so much for its romance storyline (I’m really greedy and didn’t feel like there was enough story about their relationship) but for its progression of Matt from uptight perfectionist afraid of letting online in to the msn who embraces live and the support the people in his live give to his relationship.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[CateReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3 stars***

This was one of two teacher themed books I received as an ARC and while the other was really enjoyable, this just was...not.

It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t any fun. The descriptions of teacher life were pretty spot-on, enough that I feel like the author has educational experience. But there also was barely any mention of the kids! Sure, in generalities, but the joy of a teacher romance is reading about some of the wacky kids that the MC’s encounter. It’s odd that the daily minutiae of teaching were detailed, but the job could have been switched with a lot of other professions and it would remain the same story.

The worst part is that the romance was blah. I am VERY forgiving if the characters have chemistry (LORDY, the amount of disbelief I have suspended in favor of a good romance) but these two just didn’t have any real sparks. I think the issue is that the book didn’t go far enough and the stakes weren’t very high. It set up an excellent premise; a straight-laced driven math teacher who gave up his dream for his family meets his opposite, a free spirit who lives in a travel van. But there was no real scene of Sawyer actually being bad at his job or messing up. Matt didn't seem to ACTUALLY dislike Sawyer, despite the text telling us how much he resented him interrupting his life. There’s a hint of homophobia and while I don’t actually want to see it, it never went anywhere and was unnecessary. There are lots of plot points that should raise the stakes but ultimately did not.

For its good points, I did appreciate that it had a Hispanic main character who seemed very real. His family was sweet and it did make me a little teary towards the end. But I wanted that kind of emotion to be elicited by the romance, not secondary characters.

It’s a fine story and while I am not saying don’t read it, I’m also not saying run out and buy it.

***I received this as an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.***

[M L R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fitting title as it really is about life. This M/M romance shows a progression through a school year both professionally and personally. We get to know Matt and Sawyer- what makes them tick but this is more about Matt and a bit of evolution for him.
Opposites attract… Matt is definitely the uptight one snd Sawyer the free spirit.
Both described in an attractive way-Matt is a goal-oriented Hispanic man who is very committed to his family. Sawyer a top knotted tattooed hottie that cooks and travels. Food and cooking plays a role through out-yum!
It was obvious even before bio this author has a background in education as she paints a detailed picture of the school year… I know educators will especially relate to the day to day and camaraderie amongst staff. We all wanted to know what happens in the teachers lounge or after hours!
There were a couple drawbacks for me in being invested in Matt and Sawyer as a couple. I missed a progression to a relationship…the guys talk math and school stuff only at first … then family and backgrounds but I missed flirty banter and that zing of chemistry. When they do get together its all fade to black.
I’m also not a fan of extended separations…in this case I believe it showed Matt was not ready for a committed relationship. One poignant line was Matt wondering if he’s too selfish for a relationship and I wanted to say yeah Matt, you really are. 😑
Ends with a HFN and envy-inducing summer plans

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

This story had so many interesting and real-world scenarios about teaching and small-town life. I loved the inclusion of Matt’s family, and how central their love and acceptance was to his own emotional well-being. Matt has deep abandonment issues, stemming from his parents leaving him and his sister behind in their childhood. That’s why Sawyer’s mobility is a struggle for Matt to overcome. Sawyer is enchanted with Matt’s remaining family, as they are so loving, in comparison to his own. Grandma is particularly adorable, and Sawyer soaks up her cooking lessons with gusto. The town and school settings were also well described, and had plenty of allies and advocates who truly cared about both Matt and Sawyer. The separation, when it comes, is difficult for both of them, and there are ripples in the community that bring Matt unexpected straight talk he needs to hear at just the right moments. Sawyer is a good man and a solid partner, and Matt’s plans, while admirable, won’t keep him company in the cool spring nights. He has to make some new calculations, but it’s soon clear that Matt’s life is greater with Sawyer in it. And, well, that makes for a happy ending.

Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.

[MJ Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all fairness, I've rounded up to 4 star as it didn't quite hit the mark, but didn't feel like a 3...

This single POV book follows Matt who is hyper focused and on a strict path of career progression when he finds himself irrevocably distracted by the new substitute teacher he's supporting, Sawyer. Both characters are sweet and likeable with their own fears of being vulnerable. 

I found the writing to be thoughtful. This isn't a fanciful and over the top representation of love and relationships. But it shows caring and loving relationships between family, friends and lovers. 

To me this book was much more about Matt's growth as a character than anything else. The relationship that developed between Matt and Sawyer was sweet, tender and tentative. It was lovely reading as they grew closer together. But it was Matt's personal journey that was the pull in this story. We follow him as he finds himself and realizes how much his assumptions of others perceptions of him has influenced his own choices (and how they probably shouldn't).

The love story between Matt and Sawyer was definitely a slowburn and, although not all, a substantial amount of the "intimate" scenes take place behind closed doors. But their chemistry is clear and I was invested in their HEA. 

I received an ARC of this book and have chosen to leave a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Enjoyed This One !! . . .

These characters were believable and likable. (I feel like I may have met both of them in my own life!) Matt Ruiz is structured and goal-oriented, tending toward a chronically uptight personality. Flexibility is not in his vocabulary. He rigidly follows his life plan because it gives him purpose, structure, and security. So when he gets asked to help out a new substitute teacher, it throws him into a turmoil because his schedule was already carefully planned out and there is no room for additional tasks. However, Sawyer Evans, the new substitute, is attractive. He is also the kind who can cause Matt’s head to explode because Sawyer is a free spirit, flexible and easy-going.

As painful as this is going to be, Matt needs to loosen up. As he works with Sawyer, he starts to understand a bit more. Will he figure out that he perhaps might not have the right goals in mind after all? Will he figure it out in time to find his happiness with Sawyer? Life isn’t all about schedules all the time. Evaluating priorities will force change and we have to adjust to those changes. Will Sawyer teach him how to navigate the road bumps along the way?

[L H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Ruiz is a man with a plan. He has a series of goals that he wants to accomplish and places that he wants to be. He lives his life according to his plan to get certain things done before it is too late and he does not plan to deviate for anything. Not even the possibility of a relationship and love. He is a middle school teacher and when he is tasked to help out Sawyer, a free spirted substitute teacher spending time with him throws a bit of a monkey wrench in Matt's outlook on life. What was really neat about this book was the fact that the budding relationship between Matt and Sawyer became a conduit for Matt to take his focus off doing things according to plan and to live and take a chance on something that was not planned out. This is a slow burn romance between these characters which gave it space for the life lessons the author was writing to impart.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Juniper · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a character, Matt felt incredibly real to me-- sometimes frustratingly so, other times endearingly so. He’s a good person with some definite blindspots, and watching him launch himself headfirst into those blindspots can be hard to watch (my deepest sympathies to Sawyer, who’s the one who usually ends up hurt when that happens). There’s something about his earnestness, however, that counteracts his obliviousness, and I was always hoping for him, even, maybe especially, when his damage is self-inflicted. Watching how his relationship with Sawyer changes him is a wholescale process, and shifts (for the better) who he is as a teacher, a sibling, a grandchild, and a partner. It’s definitely moving watching him try, fail, mess up, and try again. I also loved all of the supporting characters, who are beautifully drawn, complex characters who love Matt enough to call him on his nonsense. Well worth a read.

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life, Love and Other Inequalities is the debut novel by Argentina Ryder. I found this to be a bit of a slow burn story. We first meet Matt, a teacher with a set plan (on spreadsheet) for the rest of his life. Matt is a planner who seems to only be able to look at things in regards to the future. He’s not able to live life for today. He meets Sawyer when he’s hired for a long term Substitute Teacher at his school. Matt is instantly attracted to Sawyer, but he’s not really considering acting on that as it's not in his “Plan”. As they slowly get to know each other better over the months, you see Matt try to see how he can work Sawyer into his plan. Eventually he has to decide how he wants to live his life, in the future or enjoy the present. I do wish we had a bit more of Sawyer’s side of the story as this is primarily told through Matt’s eyes who, at times, I had a hard time connecting with. Solid debut story and would like to read more from the author.

[Raven and Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was good. This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it very much. These characters were so very real. Matt has his life plan on a spreadsheet, all set up and figured so he has his goals very set in his sights. Nothing is allowed to deviate from the plan, even relationships. Sawyer is a free spirit, living out of his Airstream trailer and doing various jobs as he travels from place to place. Which one has his life figured out? The correct answer might surprise you. As Matt is forced to work with Sawyer and gets to know him better, he realizes he might not have the right goals in mind. It takes him a while to figure this out though and it almost costs him his future happiness. This story is all about getting your priorities in order and realizing what is most important in life…being on track or having someone to be on track with.

[Lyndsay TC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt and Sawyer had a really sweet overall love story. This was a slow burn, fade to black story told from Matt's point of view only. I did feel like I was missing some of the story as the author seemed to gloss over some points of the relationship. I didn't really see the friendship aspect until Matt took the leap for wanting more and then the relationship itself seemed to be lacking detail. This was the author's debut novel and I will definitely read the follow up to this book when it is published because there were moments in this book that caught me and pulled me in for a moment. These scenes are the reason the book got a three and a half to four star review from me.

[Suzun · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.

DNF it’s so boring. Give me a reason to care about your characters. The first guy, I think his name is Matt, is OCD. He’s one of those planner and highlighter dudes who is rigid about how things should be done. I didn’t care for him. Sawyer is a substitute teacher who seems friendly but overwhelmed. Matt is supposed to help him but he’s not happy about it. I gave up when Matt started pulling out more highlighted instructions, at around 10%. I mean, my life is more interesting than this dudes and I’m disabled and barely leave my house. I want to be entertained when I read, I don’t want to have to force myself to keep going.

[Insomniac Library (Drew) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

This was okay, cute enough and easy to read. It felt a little slow and takes a while to get going, there’s a lot of teacher jargon and there is the classic halfway through book break up scene. Overall, this fell a little flat for me. Matt and Sawyer definitely have chemistry and you do WANT them to be together, but Matt’s a control freak and Sawyer’s laid back and beside that neither of them have much else going personality wise. This could be better is it was longer, slow burn enemies to lovers kind of thing.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet teacher romance with a slight friends to lovers aspect.

I enjoyed the character growth that Matteo undergoes, and I thought all the characters were well developed. The tension is mostly well balanced and engaging.

This is a low heat read with mostly fade to black. It's third person, single POV.

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and I have chosen to leave an honest review.

[Mrs.V · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the book, the school setting and one teacher helping out the other, in a friends to lovers kind of story. What I didn’t love at all was Matt. I found his attitude towards life in general, and his sexuality in particular, really annoying and his behaviour towards Sawyer quite awful, and that probably prevented me to enjoy this debut novel much more than I did!
The story is well written and quite engaging, and for a debut novel it was a quite good effort.

[Danial · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This story was a little dull (Not bad, just dull). I felt that there was almost no romance portrayed between the MCs. There was a lot of focus on school and teaching on Matt's part, little to no focus on Sawyer. There was also very little focus on how Matt and Sawyer's relationship developed from colleagues, to friendship, crush and finally boyfriends.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the HFN story of Matt and Sawyer who are, to use a couple of writer terms, a plotter and a pantser, respectively, in terms of their approach to life. These two opposites are going to have to find some way to meet in the middle if they want to have a long-term, successful relationship. I loved the characters and the details of their everyday lives in school and out. Always enjoy any fictional glimpse of a teacher's life. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book in the series.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is the debut novel by Argentina Ryder and I thought that it was pretty good. This book is opposites attract low heat slow burn romance. It is about two teachers Matt who is structured and needs lists and structure. Sawyer is more free-spirited and a day-by-day person who starts working as a substitute teacher. It's a meet-cute type of story. It was a satisfying ending. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Suze · Rating 4 out of 5]

The eriting style made this an easy to read story.
Nothing new in the story trope but I enjoyed its execution.
Matty is the focussed teacher, he had sacrificed his dreams for family, now whilst not closeted leads a life that shelters those around him from his ‘gayness’.
Sawyer is a bit more of a free spirit but by design. We don’t get a lot of his background - it is hinted at, but there is a book 0.5 which probably gives this info.
Enjoyed

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was about a teacher and a substitute teacher, one fully organized and methodical and another with a more carefree attitude. Matt was a very loving man, a family man but a bit obsessive. I had to fast forward my reading in some chapters. And wanted to slap Matt, but Sawyer is the saving grace in the book.

[Leonie Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is unique in that it is telling more of Matt's story and his determination to make his life live up to a spreadsheet. Sawyer is such a perfect character to love him and bring him into his own life. I really enjoyed this unique (as I said already) take on a M/M romance. “I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.”

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving this book three stars because it wasn't bad but it was good either. I was looking for a love story but that played a secondary role in this book. Instead, we were treated to the mundane life of a teacher who is way too much of a planner and really needs something to spark him up. Blah

[ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

não gostei do tipo de escrita e a organização do livro me deu dor de cabeça. tipo, tudo bem ser um capítulo para cada mês do ano, mas a autora podia ter separado as coisas que acontecem no capítulo de algum jeito porque do nada ele tava falando de um almoço aí no outro parágrafo ia para a sala de aula e é confuso demais, não tem um sequência lógica.