He Said, He Said by Jamie Craig is simply a sweet, cute and mild-angst romance with adorable children, meant to be read as a standalone in the Boys of the Zodiac series.

Peter Irving and Aaron Hardison are both single at the moment. Peter via divorce and Aaron with the passing of his wife. On the surface they are just two straight guys navigating life with their eight-year-old sons in tow. How many times have we been told not to judge a book by its cover?

The boys, Morgan and Sammy, are the catalyst bringing Peter and Aaron together. Although their initial contact doesn’t bode well for them. You understand this bit of interaction better once you get to know the four of them and their life experiences.

I enjoy how we see things from each of their perspectives. As an outsider you witness the misconceptions and assumptions each make; If these gents learned to communicate early on, they may have avoided some of their internal struggles and realized what was standing in front of them. However, it does allow us to witness a friendship that grows, and we know before they do where it is leading.

While the dads are figuring things out the boys are quick to form a strong friendship. How cute are these two together? Each has a father that lovingly puts them first giving them a solid foundation to be themselves and share common interests with a protective nature for the other. Simply put they are kids being kids.

Of course, there has to be the mean-spirited ex-wife in the picture. In this case she only borders on the demonic stereotype of the vindictive ex. The impression she presents is more of a controlling personality than one that is malicious and homophobic. I saw both sides during the playground “incident” and love how it is resolved. Adulting/parenting 101 here folks!

He Said, He Said is a light and enjoyable story with realistic characters dealing with true to life situations. Peter and Aaron, as well as Morgan and Sammy, complement each other perfectly. It is interesting to note that each man’s personality more closely resembles the son of the other man. It seems that in this case opposites surely do attract.