<b>This was such a tender and quiet and beautiful read - I loved it.</b> I requested the book because of the animal content which I looked forward to but also dreaded because in some books I've read in the past animals get weird very fast. They are too much, too awkward and you can tell that the author clearly never had any pets and that they are over-doing it. This wasn't the case here. As you get to know Jack's pack of dogs and cats (Great! Because in this book you can be both, a cat and a dog person!) you also get to know Jack, and it's beautiful how they all just work together. When Simon joins the scene he, too, fits perfectly into the pack - it's a really good balance between living with the animals and the development in Jack and Simon's relationship. This balance and the wooden Wyoming cabin, the fire place, the over-sized sweaters, the handmade scarfs, the autumn smell, the snow, Christmas trees and walking the dogs (and cat) makes this story incredibly cozy. Jack is a lovable character from the start. I like his grumpiness and his cursing and the bad place where he starts when he meets Simon - so there is room for development. With Simon, I struggled sometimes, to be honest. He is very aware of his anxiety and all the things he tried to get rid of it but never worked out for him and in some scenes that lets him appear quite selfish when he gets angry - he has done everything and he can't and won't change because that's who he is. And he is right about that, but Jack just wants to help and still has to learn for himself how to act around Simon (whom he loves to bits). Good thing: Simon knows he is unfair towards Jack and reflects about it. I loved that! And, tadaa, by the end of the book he is even able to talk to people other than his grandma and Jack. I think, it might actually be an accurate description of what being trapped in an anxious head feels like, and what it feels like being on the outside and simply not being able grasp it. And this, sometimes makes you (or just me) not really like Simon - so, I think, it's great writing getting all that across. The story itself is not terribly exciting - it's more about the characters and their development and their cozy relationship which was great and intense, I think. (Apart from the first few chapters where I would have wished for less jumping from scene to scene and for more experiencing their chemistry and seeing the two of them together and develop a friendship and feelings for each other.) Two things I found strange: First: Jack's strange habit of stalking the neighbour through his binoculars. Why? It was never unraveled why this house across from his cabin was important and at some point in the story it seemed to be. Second: Maybe it was a bit much dirty talk.