Definitely, Maybe, Yours

Craig Oliver, a British baker living in Seattle, finds that a bar pickup has potential for more in Reed’s contemporary new adult debut. Alex Scheff, coming off a bad relationship he refuses to discuss or think about, doesn’t want to find a boyfriend. But Craig is too charming for Alex to resist, and their relationship begins to become more serious—as long as neither of them openly talks about it being a relationship. The arc of the book suffers from containing too few events that would reasonably provoke the depth of emotion Reed’s characters manage to exhibit, but the bakery atmosphere is interesting. Unfortunately, the portrait of Seattle is not terribly convincing; everything from the weather to the demographics of neighborhoods is slightly off. This lightweight fairy tale slips by pleasantly enough, but doesn’t leave much impression afterward. (Aug.)