One Small Thing by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea

The Recipe For Cotton Candy And Fluffy Clouds

 One sarcastic, happy, flamboyant and toppy twink named Rue
One adorable geek with a stutter, some OCD and a problem with crowds named Erik
One sweet, charming best friend named Dusty aka Uncle Dustpan
One little newborn girl named Alice, unexpected but completely loved

Rue is a bartender who goes to cosmetology school during the day and has dreams of being a hairdresser in California. One night he gets a visit from the one woman he slept with and finds out that he's going to be a papa and he decides to keep the baby. With his best friend, Dusty, Rue decides to raise the little bundle of joy who'll be making her appearance in 6 months.

One problem...the week Rue brings Alice home he finds that he has no one to watch her during the times he and Dusty can't be with her. The daycares either suck or have waiting lists three miles long. In a fit of desperation he asks his neighbor across the hall, Erik, to watch the baby during the day.

Erik, oh Erik, you are one adorable mass of geekiness and neuroses. Erik's a guy who's really bad with change, has a stutter, panic attacks, an aversion to healthy food, a LOVE of Star Wars and a HATRED for crowds. He's not too sure about watching a newborn but when he hears that a homophobic neighbor is planning to take advantage of Rue's desperation, Erik comes to the rescue...and it won't be the last time he does.

So begins the formation of Erik, Rue, Dusty and Alice's little family.

One thing I loved about this book was that it was that it was about the making of a family. It was about how these three men make each other stronger and how they're there for each other through thick and thin. Dusty and Rue slowly pull Erik out of his shell and become the first friends he's ever had. Dusty and Erik help Rue raise the little girl who ends up stealing all of their hearts. Erik and Rue help Dusty break away from his abusive asshole of a boyfriend and it was beautiful to read about Erik giving Dusty comfort when the man needed it.

And then we have the small and big changes that happen in Erik. He finds a confidence and strength in himself that had me grinning like a damn fool. He surprises Rue, Dusty and himself in the best ways.

Yes, there's a romance in this book between Rue and Erik but that, for me, really took a back seat to the family aspect of the story. I didn't mind that so much though because I like these family stories and this, more than anything, is a family story.

Now, baby books are my kryptonite, so will this make it onto my reread list. I'm not going to say no but while I was in love with the story the writing style was good but didn't completely grab me. BUT...BUT BUT BUT I will definitely be reading Dusty's story if these two authors decide to tell it. His character really plucked at my heart strings so his story, if there is one, will be an auto-buy for me.

All in all, this was GOOD. Yet, another baby book that left me with a smile on my face and there ain't nothing wrong with that.