美しい彼

I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book. I liked some aspects, and others dragged for me. I liked how the main characters' relationship progressed, but I'm worried about their future and having minor issues get blown way out of proportion. This isn't the typical kind of book I'd read, but I did enjoy it, and I thought it was well-written; all the good press it's gotten is well-deserved, I think.

The story follows 平良 (ひら), a young man with a stutter and severe self-image issues. He's bullied, has a strange hobby of editing people out of photos he takes, and just generally feels disassociated from the world around him. One day he meets another young man named 清居 (きよい), whom 平良 immediately beings to, for lack of a better word, worship. 清居 is cool, good-looking, at the top of the high school social pyramid, and just generally aloof, everything that 平良 wishes he could be. The story follows the two and their relationship through high school and beyond.

There's a relatively small cast of (main) characters, so you'll get to know them pretty well by the end of the book. There's honestly very little drama in general; some moments here and there, but a lot of the book is devoted to 平良 navigating the world around him and trying to find his place among it all. Do note that there are several R-18 scenes, if that is/isn't your thing. There's also a bonus short story in the digital edition of the book, titled "Chestnut".

Difficulty-wise everything is mostly straightforward; grammar can be a bit on the harder side (N2, perhaps some N1), while vocabulary tends to stick with everyday life and school stuff. Note that there's a decent amount of slang from high school boys and the like.