Review: In the Middle of Somewhere

In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded up.
Daniel is the first in his family to go to college. He also happens to be heavily tattooed, with a tough guy persona, and gay. Needless to say, his family has absolutely not been supportive of him growing up, to the point of being neglectful and emotionally abusive.
Rex is tall, shy, and lonely. He never knew his dad and growing up with a single mom, they were also moving, so he never put roots down or made friends. He mother is now deceased. His first love was murdered (that's how he came to MI, Jamie was from there).
Daniel and Rex meet when Daniel accidentally hits a dog. He is in town for a job interview at the local community college. They reconnect later once Daniel is living there as a newly minted prof.
I did enjoy this story of 2 broken people who find a connection in each other. They bring light to each's individual darkness. I did like that there was not a big "misunderstanding." Rather, they slowly learn how to communicate with each other. It's not always the best or most effective, but they do (eventually) learn from their mistakes.
I also liked the secondary characters; Daniel's best friend Ginger who did all his tattoos, Leo; a teenager they befriend in their small town, and Will; Rex's ex turned friend. Daniel also gets a surprise in regards to Colin, one of his brothers that tortmented him (probably the most).
What keeps this from being a 4 star read is it does get repetitive and rambles on at times. Daniel also reads as younger to me, but I think that could be reflective of his horrible childhood and not feeling love.

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