Their chemistry was sparkling and the story build-up was steadily cultivated. More accurately, Toby made me fall in love with him. But, as I went on with the story, I ended up falling in love with him as I learned something new to his character that made him flawed and human. I saw him as that stereotypical golden boy at the start – the one who gets everything he wants and gets to be a well-loved douche. The way Levi’s character was developed was brilliant as well. I loved how Nyrae Dawn allowed him to bare his heart and soul to us, readers, but he still was an enigma through and through – a jigsaw puzzle waiting to be solved. Rather, I was awed by its authenticity – how it just felt utterly and genuinely real. When I read this, I felt a heavy weight surrounding everything in the story but it wasn’t stifling and oppressing. All these flowed with utmost delicateness. There is a consistent tenderness to this book – from the eloquent and crisp writing, to Toby’s honest point of view, up to the engrossing plot. Kristan's review captured everything to love about this book. But if Toby can’t get out of the past and find the words he keeps locked inside himself, he’ll lose his chance at Levi for good. As they spend more time together Toby sees Levi as more than just the fantasy. A surprise visit from Levi blows that assumption out of the water. Heading back to college, Toby doesn’t expect to meet up with Levi again, despite him being in med school not far away.

Oh and Levi’s realized he's bisexual, which makes things a lot more interesting…

Levi’s not acting like the self-centered guy with all the answers that Toby remembers from growing up. And yeah, he took advantage of what the city had to offer.Īpparently Toby isn’t the only one who’s changed. He left Coburn for San Francisco, where he wasn't the lone gay guy and the only black kid in town. Now home from college for winter break, Toby is a different person. Add that to the fact that his dream guy was his best friend's jerky older brother Levi Baxter, and it made hooking up virtually impossible. Tobias Jackson grew up in Coburn, a town where the gay population equaled exactly one: him.

A Hundred Thousand Words by Nyrae Dawn