Dreamers #3

ALC provided by Must Love Audio

Author: Adriana Herrera

Narrators: Brent Billings and Tristan James

Thanks, @ladriana_herrera and @mustloveaudio for the ALC. 

We’re back in Ithaca alongside Patrice Denis, the Haitian-born college professor and activist. He had his choice of places to go but his friend are all there and there’s also…him.  Easton Archer, the assistant DA with whom he had a fling in the summer. 

Golden Boy Easton has veered away from what his wealthy family expected. He’s not only gay but he’s also chose a career practicing law as a public servant.

When the local police starts targeting young men of color, both men are put in a tricky situation. The activist won’t stay quiet and the attorney has to navigate the political walls of the district attorney’s office with care. It’s up to them to figure it all together. 

The audiobook is narrated in duet by two new narrators to me and I love discovering new voices: Brent Billings and Tristan James. Brent voices the Afro-Caribbean Patrice, while Tristan James gives voice Easton. Both are incredibly talented and I loved listening to them for the first time! (I have no experience with Haitian accents or pronunciations of certain words, so I can’t give an opinion on that). Once more, Ramona Master steps in to voice all the female characters. 

I really liked how Adriana dealt with the terrible situation these two see themselves in. Patrice puts a huge expectation on himself, especially because he’s overcome so much (immigrant, abandoned child of a wealthy father) but that also makes him have almost impossible expectations of everyone else, especially Easton. Easton does his best to acknowledge his privilege but he doesn’t have the lived experience to really understand what Patrice lives under on a daily basis. I loved how they try to make their relationship work without losing the grip on their fight for social justice. 

A beautiful romance that forces you to reflect on several social injustices around us and how we can act. 

Representation: queer romance, interracial romance, Afro-Caribbean MC

Content notes (including but not limited to): bigotry, racism, racial profiling, homophobia. Mentions of child abandonment. A character is outed to his family (past) 

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