Trade Me by Courtney Milan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first Courtney Milan contemporary I’ve read (I’ve only read her historicals before), and I’m completely sold. Tina and Blake have (as expected with Milan) FANTASTIC BANTER. Set in the Silicon Valley, the core story is around the tension between always living on the edge of economic destruction (Tina) and not (Blake), with two individuals whose family lives and baggage still give them a heck of a lot in common.
Thing I am loving about current romance: couples navigating owning their own issues, and trying to build relationships in spite of them; understanding that loving another person is an emotional risk, and honoring that. Milan does this really well.
What I love about this is that they struggle. They argue. Tina calls Blake on his BS, and he LISTENS. Tina confronts her own fears, just as Blake does, and they learn to help each other, and to work TOGETHER. Problems aren’t immediately solved (always), but Tina and Blake finally understand that they are stronger as a team.
Confessions of a Curator, Editor, Geek 