I surprised myself by liking this one rather a lot.  Contemporaries aren't my favorite and I am really tired of the whole "in the closet" trope, and so I probably would not have read this if it weren't a group read.  But I found both of the characters relatable - Noah was stuck in a rut, but he was working on himself and trying really hard to be a good person and contribute. And I totally get why Adrian pushes him to change. It isn't just for his own happiness or the relationship - it is to keep Noah from smothering himself out of misplaced sense of duty.

I also liked that they both had jobs they cared about and were good at. I pretty much saw how the job situation would work out

 from nearly the beginning of the book, but I appreciated that

The author did a good job with the families and coworkers too. They seemed like real people.

 Audio edition, narrator Sean Crisden

6 hours 55 minutes

 

Overall: 4

Performance: 5

Story: 4

Update: July 2016:

I'm so happy I went with the audio this time! I read this book in January this year and I really liked it. It was very cute and sweet story about the tightly wound and closeted geo-archaeologist, Noah, who at the age of 35 is still very much unexperienced with anything sex and relationship wise, and the more open and charismatic Adrian, a 25 year old game developer.

I loved the slow build and their interest and careful (sometimes not with Adrian, lol) flirting and approach to coming together. I loved the game nerd references. I loved Noah's professor-y speak and Adrian's ability to provoke it with his flirty comments, making the ten year older professor blush like a virgin. Wait, he is one. ;) I loved the age difference too, and that Adrian was more the "leading man". They were so sweet together!

There is some brief angst. I get that Noah had his issues to deal with, but he gets his head on straight. I feel bad for Noah having been so tightly wound, I don't know, at least 15 years, struggling with being gay and feeling guilty and keeping away from his family for those reasons. I'm happy everything turned out great!

An uber-cute ending!

Sean Crisden nailed the narration with different voices and everything. He really made the book for me!

Recommended!