Because sometimes feelings just don’t make sense. From Michał’s perspective we see how those conversations became a part of his routine, so much so that when he and Magnus didn’t chat for days, and sometimes even weeks, it left a Magnus-shaped hole in Michał’s life, and we see how an attachment that, logically, shouldn’t be so strong causes Michał some confusion. Their planned meeting was supposed to be for a one-and-done, but their conversations didn’t end even though the plan to meet face-to-face fell through.

In the digital age of dating apps and online hook-ups, Horvat has crafted a love story in which their MCs, Michał and Magnus, have never met in person but have become the best of friends via online chat over two years’ time. Vanilla Clouds is a modern romance in every sense of the word. After reading a few of their novellas/short novels, it’s safe to say they have a real talent for telling a story that may be spare in word count but is abundant in emotion, this being no exception to that rule. Review: Roe Horvat’s Vanilla Clouds is every bit as sweet and sublime as the title suggests. If Michał can step out of his overly safe shell, there might be not only chocolate, but sex, too. Beside his job at the chocolaterie, his main source of excitement is his online friend, Magnus, whom he stubbornly refuses to meet in person.Ī customer turns up at the chocolaterie one day-tall, shy, and charming. Luckily, he works surrounded by the most delicious, extravagant produce in Gothenburg. After a particularly bad hookup, he keeps mostly to himself. His sex life has been nonexistent for some time, though. Sex and chocolate are the two pleasures Michał enjoys most in life. At a Glance: For a breezy trip to new romance, with a few gusty winds before you get to the end, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend adding this novella to your reading list.īlurb: “I could spend days listening to you talk about chocolate.”

Vanilla Clouds by Roe Horvat