Upside Down by N.R. Walker
"Jordan O’Neill isn’t a fan of labels, considering he has a few. Gay, geek, a librarian, socially awkward, a nervous rambler, an introvert, an outsider. The last thing he needs is one more. But when he realizes adding the label ‘asexual’ might explain a lot, it turns his world upside down.
Hennessy Lang moved to Surry Hills after splitting with his boyfriend. His being asexual had seen the end of a lot of his romances, but he’s determined to stay true to himself. Leaving his North Shore support group behind, he starts his own in Surry Hills, where he meets first-time-attendee Jordan.
A little bewildered and scared, but completely adorable, Hennessy is struck by this guy who’s trying to find where he belongs. Maybe Hennessy can convince Jordan that his world hasn’t been turned upside down at all, but maybe it’s now—for the first time in his life—the right way up."
“Like I took a miscalculated step or like I missed the last stair, I fell headfirst right into love with Hennessy Lang.”
― N.R. Walker, Upside Down
This book is the epitome of why I love this book community so much. I probably wouldn’t have found this book or thought to buy it without Anna’s wonderful recommendation. But I’m so very glad I did because this book is fantastic. The characters warmed my heart. Not just the MC, Jordan, but I fell in love with just about every character in this story. Jordan was a relatable rambling mess. And both he and Hennessy had been hurt so many times before I was so happy for them when they found each other. It was so cute and I felt like it had the right amount of conflict that I didn't feel like the author was punishing them unnecessarily. This book also did a lot of teaching people about asexuality but it was really well done, and it didn’t feel like I was suddenly reading a textbook either.
This book dealt with some really important conversations as well. Both Jordan and Hennessy are ace and they meet, officially, at an ace support group. They talk a lot about what they're comfortable with and what they're not. They also talk a lot about the fact that every asexual person is comfortable with different things. It isn't a one size fits all label. I think these conversations are important for everyone to have, and not just those of us in queer relationships. I grew up reading stories or watching shows where people would fall in love and almost immediately fall into bed with each other. Seeing only this kind of relationship stressed me out. How was I supposed to know a person's boundaries? How would they know mine? Did couples magically just know the second they kissed? It was all quite confusing. No. There's no magic kissing telepathy. Just a lot of conversations. And so I love anything that shows these conversations because we need to start normalizing them. So in the end, I loved this book. You should read this book too!
Genre: contemporary, lgbtqia+
Representation: gay, ace
Content Warnings: Language, Sexual coercion (past, discussed)