Born for Leaving by Jude Munro / Mia Kerick

 3.5 stars

An atypical MM romance novel that dives into darker themes of childhood trauma, sexual harassment, and rape; while there are rough patches in its characters and narrative, the author has overall woven an engaging story with two sympathetic and memorable leads.

The novel's biggest accomplishment is the depiction of its two leads; both Oliver and Bodie are emotionally introverted with a less-than-happy family history. The gradual unveiling between the characters, both physically and emotionally, in small snippets of daily interaction, is both tender and believable; a rarity for this specific genre. Born for Leaving shines the most during its intimate moments.

For the overarching narrative, the novel sticks close to the genre playbook, telling a summer-long tale on a fictional New England resort island, with the anticipated ups and downs of friend-to-lover and moments of obstacle and miscommunication. The story contains several antagonists, all of whom are quite comically villainous in comparison to the complexity of the two leads. In particular, the character of Oliver's mom and an ex-lover Jack, both went through a character arc that felt very sudden and over-dramatic. Lastly, while the last plot turn offered some emotionally raw moments between Oliver and Bodie, the initiated action taken by the character felt out of place, and the following events leaned a little too much into the melodramatic, rather than common sense.

Overall, thanks to the author's perceptive writing and the introduction of darker subject matter to a genre commonly known for its sexy fun, Born for Leaving is a captivating read beyond what the lackluster book cover otherwise suggests.

***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***