Book 886: A Handful of Joy – Pat Henshaw

I accepted this review copy because the cover is adorable and it’s a novella.* This time of year is always busy for me at work, so I always need a few short novels/novellas on hand to fill gaps or to just distract me. The plot also grabbed my attention, but really it was the cover that got me, I mean ADORBS.

The protagonists Ted and Matt meet fatefully one night in a bar and slow dance when no one else is dancing. And it flies from there into a whirlwind romance of one week and then on to forever.

I’m not going to harp on about how quickly everything happened in the story, like 0 to 60 doesn’t even begin to cover it, because I’ve done that repeatedly in the past. I think since Henshaw faded to curtains and only alluded to the copious amounts of sex they had after their third date it didn’t bother me as much as it usually did.

He wasn’t conventionally handsome, more personality handsome than physically good looking. His dimples and low, soothing voice were door-openers. (Chapter 1)

Overall, I enjoyed the story and both Matt and Ted’s characters were believable, if a bit confusing (which has more to do with the writing than the characters themselves). The fact Matt was a bit softie and really cared about the people his recently-deceased uncle truly adored just made me want to give him a big hug. And Ted’s total insecurity even though he projects this confident uptight image were just so good together.

He won’t be a good boyfriend if he isn’t your friend. That’s why it’s not called boy-sex-partner or boy-crush or boy-wanna-be. (Chapter 2)

Henshaw’s writing wasn’t bad and I think if she keeps writing she’ll develop and be a solid writer. Some of this has to do with the length of the work. It’s a short novella and I felt there were a couple of jumps that happened and we were definitely left wanting at the end of the story (WTF happened to the lawyer? Was he disbarred and prosecuted?), but I wasn’t angry or disappointed at the end by either the story or the writing. I was just left sort of meh. I did find it interesting the book was set post-pandemic, but there was no talk about the pandemic or what they’d been doing or what not—maybe that’s the new normal?

As a gay man on the other side of thirty-five, I knew  the rules. They’d been pounded into me enough times. Stay cool. Don’t act like you ultimately want love, a husband, a house, a family, a real commitment to anything other than instant gratification sex. Don’t act desperate or needy. Don’t acct like you care. (Chapter 1)

Recommendation: This was a nice quick read. It was my first introduction to Henshaw and I really feel if she keeps writing she’ll develop a stronger voice and stronger narratives. There were a few confusing moments when I wasn’t sure a part had been written correctly about a character or it felt the view point changed and I definitely felt this could’ve been turned into a full-length novel fleshing out quite a few bits around both Ted and Matt, and all the minor characters who made an impact in their very brief appearances. I’ll definitely give Henshaw another read to see if she improves in the future.

*I received a copy of A Handful of Joy via Gay Romance Reviews in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “I’m not sure why I decided to grab a quick drink at a bar I hadn’t visited in maybe fifteen years.”

Closing Line: “I didn’t. Why should I? He was my joy.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)