Review: Out by Cara Dee

Title: Out

Author: Cara Dee

Publisher: Self-Published

Length: 299 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: Out is fast paced with complex characters who exist as a society. I’m counting the days for the holiday short so I can see Zach and Henry again.

Reviewed By: Ky

Blurb: “I guess I always figured coming out was something you did for friends and family, and maybe it is, but it’s personal too, you know? The person I was last night is new. I wanna get to know him.”

I had two things on my list when I arrived in Los Angeles. One, track down Henry Bennington, the uncle and guardian of my little brother’s best friend, and tell him to get his ass back to Washington. He needed to do something about his nephew, who was turning into a douchebag. And two, figure out just how non-straight I was. For the past two years, I’d had all these fantasies, and now was the time to explore them, far away from my sleepy little town.

Nowhere on this list did it say, “Get Ty’s uncle into bed and fall for him.” I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with another city either. But between brunch, making new friends, and discovering the man I was meant to be, I lost sight of the future that had once seemed pretty damn vivid. How the hell was I supposed to merge my old life and who I used to be with the new dreams Los Angeles and Henry had awakened in me?

Review: The thing I like most about Cara Dee’s books is that her characters exist in a society and don’t live alone in a bubble. They are fathers, friends, sons, co-workers, casual acquaintances, brothers, cousins. There is the element of the family in many of her books and there are strong bonds between the members. Out is no exception. The MCs have a lot of people to think about when making decisions. There are brothers and nephews and friends, and a grandmother who likes to google curse words.

Zach, in particular, has practically been a parent for his brother, from a very young age, due to their family situation. He was forced to grow up and be responsible when he was just a kid himself. As a result, he had to skip out on a lot of dreams and aspirations for his future. Now that his brother is just one year away from finishing high school, he feels it’s time to do things for himself for a change. While Zach was in LA, mainly to talk to Henry about his nephew, he decided it was his time—his time to experience new things, his time to explore, his time to live. And, in his quest to find himself, he fell in love with both the city and Henry.

“It wasn’t just LA that was the drug. It was Henry too.”

The pace of the story was pretty fast, with everything in LA happening in three short weeks, but the events of the last part of the book made the two of them having a future believable. There was a big fight that had to be there so they could face insecurities and seriously talk about what each wanted out of their relationship. During that fight, Zach acted immaturely, not answering his phone and practically ghosting Henry. He also did something while he was furious that I found pretty funny, mainly because it was pretty surreal; he didn’t mean any harm by it and regretted it immediately.

Since Zach and Henry have a social circle, it is natural that this book has a lot of secondary characters. Most of them have their own books, and even though I haven’t read all of them, I didn’t have a problem following the story. Aside from previous characters making guest appearances here, there are quite a few that we meet for the first time. Martin, Henry’s best friend, is one of them. He had a loud presence whenever he was in a scene; he was a sweetheart and hugely valued his friends. He took Zach under his wing from the moment he met him, and was determined to give him the best LA experience he could—taking him places, giving him a makeover, buying him stuff, introducing him to people.

Another friend of Henry’s, Joseph, was not so easy to like. He had a huge history with Henry, but his behavior kind of frustrated me. It didn’t seem like he was a very good friend to him. There was no real conclusion to this side plot, but there is a short holiday story coming later in the year where we get Zach and Henry again, so maybe we’ll get closure there.

Eagle, on the other hand, was a good friend. He liked to keep his distance and usually hung out in the office, but he was Henry’s. Did I say he was a cat? An overweight, grumpy furball that hissed at everyone. Zach had some problems with him at first, but they were able to overcome them.

Mattie and Ty were good additions to the story. Very different from each other but the best of friends. Mattie is Zach’s kid brother and his character showed how much the lack of parents and money had affected him too. Despite Zach’s efforts to provide the best he could for his brother, and let him live his childhood, Mattie, too, had grown up before it was time. He was mature and aware of his place in the world. He had an excellent relationship with his brother, where Zach was both a parent and a friend.

Ty was a complex and very wounded character. When he finally cracked and opened up to Henry, my heart went out to him. He had a messed up way of thinking, but he had been through so much at such a young age that I can’t judge him for it. He needed Henry in his life even more than any of them had thought at the beginning.

I’m counting the days for the holiday short so I can see Zach and Henry again, along with all their friends and family! For now, though, the next thing I’m reading by Cara Dee will probably be Noah. He and Julian were intriguing characters, and I can’t wait to find out their story.

You can buy Out here:
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