The Temperature of Me and You Blog Tour + Review

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU by Brian Zepka Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Author: Brian Zepka

Pub. Date: January 25, 2022

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 416

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks (audiobook), Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who’s literally too hot to handle.

Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a lot in the way of options. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boys start spending time together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a crush. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. But as the pressure mounts and Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers. Jordan’s revelations of why he’s like this, where he came from, and who’s after him leaves Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. And if Earth supports life that breathes oxygen, then love can only keep Jordan and Dylan together for so long.

THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU is the story of first love, and the lengths we’ll go to figure out our hearts. What starts as an electric, chance encounter at a Dairy Queen quickly evolves into a heated romance, a journey of trust and identity, and a ticking clock for survival.

Reviews:

The Temperature of Me and You catapults the notion of sizzling romance to a whole new fun level with both metaphoric and literal sparks, flames, and superhuman pyro-powers brightly burning in a smokin’ hot story.―Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys and You Brought Me the Ocean

With so much heart, mystery, and sci-fi intrigue, Brian lit a fire in my soul that had me burning through these pages! Not only will the action have you on the edge of your seat, but the sparks flying between Dylan and Jordan will make you melt.―Jason June, author of Jay’s Gay Agenda

Dylan has been out as gay for several years now, but he has never had any luck finding a boyfriend. No one that he met was right for him until he met Jordan. Even though Jordan is strange and is constantly running away from him, Dylan finds himself drawn to him again and again. When Jordan burns him just by touching his hand, Dylan knows that a dangerous secret could be the reason why Jordan keeps avoiding him. Dylan probably should just leave Jordan alone, but he cannot seem to stop thinking about him. 

When I originally read the synopsis of this book, I expected this to be an alien romance novel somewhere in the realm of the Obsidian series. This book is more of a contemporary romance with a sciency side story than a book about an alien teenage boy falling for a human, so keep that in mind when you read this book. There won’t be spaceships here, just two boys running around a small town and finding themselves. I had fun reading about Dylan’s relationship with his two best friends as well and would love a follow-up story about what’s going on in their lives after the end of this story. 

I really loved the character Dylan and his family. Finally, finally, a gay character who doesn’t have the backstory of unsupportive, hateful parents. Dylan’s parents loved him just as much after he came out as they did before. If anything, they almost smothered him in support, having a “coming-out” party like a mini-birthday every year on the anniversary of him telling his parents. He was not a teen boy burdened by trauma. He was just a normal boy, living his life, daydreaming about a boyfriend and working boring shifts at Dairy Queen in the middle of winter. This is one of a handful of non-traumatic LGBT YA love stories that I read, and I love it for being that. 

Jordan was a character that I felt could have been fleshed out a little more, but I liked him enough. The main focus was on his abnormalities (high body temperature & other spoiler-y things) but I felt like I didn’t get the chance to know him as a person. I’m not sure if there will be more books about these characters, but I definitely feel like I want to have the chance to learn more about his backstory & get to know his true non-running-away personality. 

I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the sci-fi elements of this story. Again, I came in expecting aliens, but what I got was good enough to keep me entertained throughout the story. I didn’t like how complicated it seemed to get close to the end when more outside actors started coming in and messing things up. I think it could have been just as good of a story without all the intense action scenes at the end. The story could have focused more on Jordan that way and of him coming to terms with his body and learning more about him as a person. Nevertheless, this is still enough sci-fi to scratch that itch without getting too technical, which makes this a sci fi book that non-fans of the genre will still enjoy. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a new contemporary YA romance novel with a sci-fi twist.

I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. 

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

About Brian Zepka:

Brian Zepka was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Brian worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Virginia where he provided support for programs addressing community health literacy and adolescent sexual health. He currently lives in Philadelphia and is a program evaluator for a nonprofit organization focused on chronic disease prevention. The Temperature of Me and You is his first novel.

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Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU, US Only.