Woke Up In A Strange Place, Eric Arvin

An amazing story of self-discovery.  One of my all-time favorite books.

-Review by Cindi

The following review was originally posted on Goodreads on October 25, 2011.  I have only pushed one other author in the M/M genre as much as I have Eric Arvin... and this particular book.  I read Woke Up In A Strange Place over a year ago, but I still love it as much now as I did then.  This book turned me into a huge fan and I have loved every other book of his that I have read.  If you are interested in something totally different from the norm, I highly suggest Woke Up In A Strange Place.  You won't be disappointed.

Wow.  This was (by far) one of the most unusual and unique books I have ever read.  While looking for something new to read I saw the author's name on a site.  I saw this book.  I wasn't sure about it until I read a recommendation by another author (T.J. Klune) that I had just read the day before. That pushed me in the right direction and I decided to give it a try.  I am so glad I did. 

I am totally at a loss as to what to say about this book.  If I go into the story, I will give it away.  I do not want to do that.  All I will say is that it is a story of self-discovery, told in a way that I have never seen before.  Yes, it is a love story.  But the love story, while the ultimate goal of the story, is not front and center for the entire book.  While it is always there in the background for the main character (Joe) there are other things that must be resolved along the way during his journey.  The characters introduced during Joe's journey are funny, some are silly, and some are heartbreaking.

It takes a lot for a book to affect me to the point of tears.  This one did.  There were the good tears but there were also the sad ones.  Joe's road to self-discovery is not always told in a good or happy way.  That is what made the book so good.  

I could go on and on about how much I love this book but I won't.  Just read it.  It's not an overly sexual book.  There is not a lot of graphic stuff here.  But the love story is amazing.  This is one that will stick with me long after I completed it.