Party of Three is the 6th book in the Table Topped series, but is set several years before the rest of the books and can be read as a prequel... This book is M/M/X and does include a character who continues to alternate between She/They pronouns in the book.
From the blurb:
Pia
My dreams of a career as an artist are too big to let a little thing like love derail them.
Funny how it takes a drag show to reach inside my soul, show me a glimpse of who I truly am, and bring my two best friends into my life. After a lifetime as collateral damage to Mom’s serial monogamy, I never thought I’d have room for the inevitable heartache of romance. Yet I can’t help myself when it comes to the two men who mean more to me than I ever imagined possible.
Emil
Coming out is never easy, but staying in the closet is crushing my soul.
I’ve known who I am for most of my life. Jewish, drag king, trans man, teacher, brother, son, uncle. But rejection and fear have kept my truth locked up inside for years. Drag gives me my one safe outlet to be myself, but it takes Pia and Gregor’s unwavering support to find the courage to embrace every part of myself. They give me the strength to step out of the closet and the drive to fight for love.
Gregor
Some days, getting out of bed seems like more than I can manage.
My mom was my rock for most of my life. Single by choice, she showed me that family is who we choose. She is the reason I went into nursing, the reason I fell in love with drag. When I lost her, it seemed like my entire life fell apart. Depression consumed me. It isn’t until I meet my online best friends in person that I truly relearn how to live. Now I’m hoping the three of us can become the family I’ve longed to rebuild ever since I lost mine.
Party of Three is an M/M/X nerdy contemporary romance with two trans leads who have different experiences of what that means for them. It is book six in the series, but it can stand alone or function as a series prequel. This is part one of a two-part duology featuring these three characters and it ends with an HEA/HFN. The CW information for both books about these three characters is in the author’s note.
Heather's Review:
I love when authors take us on a journey with their characters and Party of Three documents the transformations of two of it's characters, one becoming a trans man and the other embracing their more fluid nature and interchangeable she/they/her pronouns.
Pia was always an enigma in the first five books and I was glad that Alex Silver has taken us back to Pia's roots and helped us understand their first steps into becoming comfortable as themself. Because this is the first book in a duology about this throuple, the book is understandably slow burn as the MCs become friends then besties then more...
I can't wait to see what transformations happen within the relationship when we get our second look with the next book!
Rating: 5 Stars
Angel's Review:
Relatable, Realistic, and acutely accurate!
I.. don't think I have ever gotten so attached to characters as poignantly as I have with Pia, Emil, and Gregor. These characters, the writing, the background, all pulled me in from the very first page. I literally did nothing but read this book for two hours straight, I read it all the way through with no breaks in between. Mainly because I couldn't physically stop reading, I didn't want to, I couldn't! The only thing I did other than read this book was gush about it to my friends that I have in a group chat with them. One that's very similar to the group chat these characters met in.
I can relate to this book in a lot of different ways, the main one being connecting with people who were once strangers but who become your closest confidants. I met my best friends online in a group chat about a year ago, and they are my biggest allies and supporters. I've shared so many things with them, that they've morphed from strangers I met online to being family I chose to have around me and in my life.
The other reason/reasons I feel so attached to this book is Gregor's job. He's a nurse who works in a nursing home helping the elderly patients. My mom was a nurse and she used to work in a nursing home as well, and the stories she's told me about her job are very similar to those of Gregor's job! I was smiling while I read the scenes where he was working cause what was written about those moments, I could relate to cause my mom experienced similar things at her job! And that was just so awesome and amazing. I really appreciate how much time and work Alex had to put in to make that as accurate as possible, and I can definitely say they achieved that..
As someone who's an ally/supporter, it feels validating to read about characters who are trying to figuring things out and where/how they fit into this world, and what that looks like for them. While I was reading this I got emotional because my friends have shared their stories with me and I could see them being represented in this book. And that, is something that is so incredible and makes me so happy. I wish that the world becomes more accepting rather than casting judgement, what Emil went through with his doctor along with how his mother treated him is horrible. Thankfully though he found people who became his family when his own wasn't being what family should be. And Pia? Her questioning themselves and trying out new labels to see what fits her best was such a profound moment. I don't know if my friends ever went through a moment/moments just like the ones these characters did, but if they did, then they got represented in this book. I think it's really important to have characters you can relate to, and these characters had me right in my feels the whole time.
The pacing of this book was incredible, there was definitely a slow burn happening but there was a reason for that! The friends to lovers aspect was done so beautifully, and I am so excited for the second part in this duo. I can't wait to see what these characters are up to next! The writing was flawless, it draws you in and does not let go! There was so much attention to detail when it came to really fleshing out each and every character and giving them not only a great backstory but also making them feel real. You will get immersed in this world alongside these characters, and you will not want to leave this world once you finish this book. I loved this story! And I'm so excited to see what's next for Emil, Pia, and Gregor.
Rating 5 Stars
Party of Three is available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription
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