lilysreviews

Book Blurb:  Meet Patrick Cleary: party boy, loser, and spaz. Patrick’s been trying desperately to transform himself, and the results have been so spectacular, they’ve almost killed him. Meet Wes “Whiskey” Keenan: he’s a field biologist wondering if it’s time to settle down. When the worst day of Patrick’s life ends with Whiskey saving it, Patrick and Whiskey find themselves sharing company and an impossibly small berth on the world’s tackiest houseboat.

Patrick needs to get his life together—and Whiskey wants to help—but Patrick is not entirely convinced it’s doable. He’s pretty sure he’s a freak of nature. But Whiskey, who works with real freaks of nature, thinks all Patrick needs is a little help to see the absolute beauty inside his spastic self, and Whiskey is all about volunteering. Between anomalous frogs, a homicidal ex-boyfriend, and Patrick’s own hangups, Whiskey’s going to need all of his patience and Patrick’s going to need to find the best of himself before these two men ever see clear water.

Review:  I really enjoyed reading Clear Water, as I have enjoyed reading other Amy Lane books, for some of the same reasons: the story, the characters, the issues, and how well each story's unique elements blend together.

Patrick has ADHD and, because of that, he has issues with how he perceives himself through others' perceptions and treatment of him.  When he starts helping Whiskey and Fly Bait with their research, his perceptions start to change and he flourishes.  Whiskey has issues of his own, but those too start to change as time spent with Patrick changes him.

I really like how things are resolved in the book.  The relationships don't magically resolve themselves - they are worked at, they grow, and they change.

Great read!

(Galley received via Netgalley, book blurb and image (C)Dreamspinner Press, LLC.)