genre : historical romance (achillean romance series)
MCs : 26yo cis white m-spec man + 30yo neurodivergent cis white gay man
POV : dual 3rd-p
genre : historical romance (achillean romance series)
MCs : 26yo cis white m-spec man + 30yo neurodivergent cis white gay man
POV : dual 3rd-person
location: New York City, NY, USA (1973)
indie? : yes
This is my first Sebastian book, so no, you don’t have to read the first book or prequel of the series to read Daniel Cabot, but it might help you recognize some of the characters that took me several paragraphs to identify.
Set in New York City, 1973, Daniel Cabot (26, m-spec) and Alex Savchenko (30, gay, Ukrainian) have been best friends since Alex stumbled upon a post-fight Daniel one and a half years ago. Daniel is charming, fun-loving, and enjoys breaking up abandoned empty lots in the city for gardening. Alex is a pediatrician, dedicated to make healthcare most affordable for his patients (the sliding-scale pediatrics clinic he opened with fellow pediatrician Mary), and doesn’t like to be out and about like Daniel does. The two of them are inseparable: Daniel brings lunch to Alex, and Alex makes sure Daniel takes care of himself. Everyone else around them seems to think they’re boyfriends, but oh no, they are definitely not, nor are they in love with each other. Nope.
The characters are so cute! I adore both Daniel and Alex, and Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots definitely feels like a best-friends-to-lovers story. In Sebastian’s marketing post, she mentioned “I didn’t realize we were boyfriends” as one of the keywords for this book, and I think this is now my new favorite trope!
I love that Daniel’s and Alex’s lives were already very intertwined at the start of the book: Daniel’s mom hangs out with Alex, and Daniel visits Alex and Mary’s clinic all the time. It’s lovely when everyone around them is rooting for their relationship, and it’s even more endearing that they are oblivious of the feelings the other has for them. Also, there is little to no third act breakup, which I love.
Though the main characters are both white, Sebastian had make sure that non-white folks are reflected in the book, too, in other characters. As for the neurodivergent aspect of the book, I won’t touch too much upon it as a non-neurodivergent person, but please check out other people’s review on whether or not the rep is good.
When I was reading Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots, I wasn’t too sure about the way the story was told: big chunks of backstory interspersed throughout the story. It felt explanatory, and my enjoyment suffered a bit because of this. But after I put down the book, I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters, the vibe, the community Sebastian had built in this book. There is something in her writing that lingers, that, days after finishing and I was walking down the streets, I had flashbacks to something in the book, like the world in it is mine, too.
All in all, I’m excited to read more works by Sebastian. If “vibes” romance is your jam, or if you enjoy friends-to-lovers stories, this book is for you.
content warnings: available in book sample
I received a digital review copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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