4.5 Stars for Open Seating by Molly Lolly Reviews

This story was lovely. I adored Seth and Bryce. They went on this amazing adventure together. But they also overcame some major obstacles in their lives that kept both of them from going forward and being happy. Watching them both on their journeys was wonderful. I enjoyed getting to see inside both of their thoughts and how the overall experience affected both of them. The emotions that were brought out were so clear as I read. I felt so much along with the characters.

Seth broke my heart. Right from the beginning you could tell he had a hard path to follow in the future. There were a few times I felt like Seth was coddled by Mark but it’s easy to see it was done out of love. As Seth opened up and began to work through his grief a new man emerged and I could tell Seth was going to be happy and make it long term. I adored how his feelings for Bryce grew slowly and almost crept up on him.

Bryce was such a playboy at the beginning of the story I wasn’t sure if he’d ever get his head out of his ass. There are a few scenes at the beginning of the story you may want to skip if seeing one of the main characters with not the other character is a no for you. However it’s done in a way that shows Bryce’s character at the time and also how he changes by the end of the book. Even with how shallow Bryce is, I adored him right from the start. I loved getting to see him open up and the tender side of him that was always there. The way he cared for Seth, at first physically and then emotionally, was so sweet. It made me swoon just a little bit.

I was wary of how Mark’s passing was going to be handled. However I should have known it would have been done well since Ms. Ashling is the author. I was glad to see a tough and emotional topic was handled with care and respect. I’m interested how the shadow of Mark will play out in the next two books in this series. However based on this book, I’m pleasantly hopeful we’ll get to see more healing on Seth’s part and acceptance of Mark’s choice.

There’s a strong happy for now ending as this book closes. I adore these two and can’t wait to see more of them in the next book. I’m eager to see their feelings for each other grow. But I especially want to see how they handle living together and build a relationship full time with both of their quirks and idiosyncrasies. I imagine there will be bumps along the way but that will just make them finding their way so much sweeter.

Stars:

Four and a half