Title: What It Takes
Author: Jude Sierra
Publisher: Interlude Press
Length: 274 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: What It Takes is heartbreaking at times. But, it’s beautifully heartbreaking. It’s a gorgeous story filled with lots of angst, yes, but also filled with hope, and friendship, and love.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Moments after Milo Graham’s family relocate to Cape Cod, he meets Andrew Witherell—launching a lifelong friendship built on a foundation of deep bonds, secret forts, and plans for the future. When Milo is called home from college to attend his domineering father’s funeral, he and Andrew finally act on their mutual attraction. But, doubtful of his worth, Milo decides to sever all ties with his childhood friend. Circumstances send both men home again years later, and their long held feelings will not be denied. But will they have what it takes to find lasting love?
Review: I considered myself a pretty big Jude Sierra fan already, but she just cemented her spot on my auto-buy author list with this one. Milo and Andrew’s story completely stole my heart. One thing I love about Sierra’s books is how authentic they feel. She does such a great job of putting the reader right where they need to be to connect with both the place and the characters. The character development here is incredible, as always. And in this case, the place is a little town called Santuit, Massachusetts, just outside of Cape Cod. Milo’s family moves to The Cape when Milo is eight, and he is immediately befriended by Andrew, who is his same age. The narrative takes us from that first meeting, all the way into young adulthood—and further, with the epilogue—on an incredibly emotional journey.
Milo’s home life is difficult, to put it mildly. His father is extremely abusive, mostly emotionally, but physically as well, and pushes Milo relentlessly, demanding perfection in everything he does. It led to Milo being super driven, both as a successful student and swimmer, but the cost was very high. Even Milo’s freedom from his father after he went to college wasn’t enough to break him out of the fear cycle he’s lived in for his entire life. The only thing keeping him sane year after year, sometimes minute to minute, is Andrew.
Andrew is a dreamer. A writer and an artist with a creative spirit, and a desire to shape his surroundings in a certain way. What Andrew desires most after meeting Milo, though, and after finding out Milo’s secret, is to protect and take care of him. Andrew saves his best friend over, and over, and over, and in fact keeps saving him and taking care of him from thousands of miles away when they both go off to college.
At college, Milo and Andrew miss each other with an intensity that I think is somewhat startling to them both. Milo especially begins to realize how dependent he is on Andrew, though it’s definitely a two-way street. And, while Andrew has known for a long time that he was in love with Milo, Milo begins to really examine his true feelings for Andrew. Feelings that he finds comforting in a way, but mostly terrifying.
Milo loves Andrew, too – maybe too much, and definitely in ways he doesn’t understand. Andrew is his ballast, and the thought of entertaining longing or desire for more seems like a spark too reckless. One wrong breath and Milo will have burned the whole thing down.
There’s so much that happens and so many good things to talk about, but I obviously don’t want to give too much away, so I think I’ll leave it here. Sierra has once again crafted a story that will leave you wrung-out, and yet still full of joy. I love how real the story is, especially in the more difficult sections. There’s no sugarcoating here. Sometimes life throws shit at you that it takes a while for you to trust yourself to deal with. But, it always seems more doable when you know someone has your back.
I can’t believe it took me so long to read this book. I don’t know what I was waiting for, you guys. If you haven’t read it yet, don’t be like me, don’t wait. Go out right now and grab it. Now that you’ve read my review, you should consider yourself forewarned, though…What It Takes is heartbreaking at times. But, it’s beautifully heartbreaking. It’s a gorgeous story filled with lots of angst, yes, but also filled with hope, and friendship, and love. I’m so, so glad I finally set aside time to read this one. Another wonderful read from Jude Sierra.
You can buy What It Takes here:
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