Where the Heart Rests

[b]Note:[/b] A totally awesome friend gifted me a copy of this game. ^^ [h1]Building a home ^^[/h1] [h2]Introduction[/h2] [i]Where the Heart Rests[/i] is a yaoi, kinetic visual novel developed and published by ebi-hime. You take on the role of Yuel, a male adult who's almost in his 30's, and he's just found out that his father, Khalil, has passed away. Yuel and Khalil had an estranged relationship, so he isn't looking forward to attending his funeral. However, upon arriving at one of Khalil's vacation homes and being greeted by Armand, Khalil's lawyer, Yuel discovers that he has a younger half-brother, Reza, whom Khalil had been raising by himself but kept secret from the rest of the family. During the reception after the funeral, Armand brings up with Yuel and the rest of the attending relatives about Reza, specifically about who wants to take responsibility for raising him. After an aunt suggests that Reza be sent to an orphanage (and most of the other relatives are in agreement since they can't be bothered to raise a child), this angers Yuel to the point that he agrees to adopt Reza, despite that his own living circumstances aren't the best. Thankfully, Yuel isn't in th…

I think I've mentioned in other reviews for her games that I love how ebi-hime writes child characters, so I've been interested in and excited for [i]Where the Heart Rests[/i] as soon as I heard about it. She delivered with Reza being a cutie, as I knew she would, and on top of that, she delivered with an excellent balance of sweet and heartwrenching moments here. The story deals heavily with grief and family trauma, often pressing down on tender emotional bruises for me, but despite this it still manages to feel largely lighthearted and relaxing to read with Tavi and Safiya offering uwavering support for Yuel - what a true wish fulfillment fantasty, haha. I think a huge part of the appeal here is Yuel being just so hugely relatable honestly, lol. We may not all be adopting a secret little brother or falling in love with our handsome older cousin, but Yuel's burnout, money woes, and general exhaustion with life had me saying "oh me too lol" at least twice every scene. On a note that I think is more personal and less broadly relatable, Yuel's struggles with his intensely overwhelming and sometimes irrational attachments made me feel seen as well - I rarely see this kind of thing po…

I'm quite new to Yuel/Tavi stories, but I really was excited to check this one out. The premise seemed really cute, and it the story as a whole was as sweet as I thought it would be! I really enjoyed seeing the two of them work together to raise Reza. Yuel was also really relatable with his struggles of work burnout, and well just overall self doubt (whether about himself or raising Reza). I was also curious about how the nature of their relationship would be handled, and I think it was done really well, especially after getting the entire flashback scene of the wedding, and Tavi and Yuel talking things over. I also found the highlight of Yuel's attachment issues interesting. The novel ended on a sweet note, and Yuel, Tavi, and Reza make sweet little family. Overall, this was a nice relaxing read full of domestic fluff! (with some heavier moments mixed in). I have other Yuel/Tavi stories, and I'm even more curious to check them out and see how things are different in different universes.

I've been following the series for a while now and I like the change of pace that Where the Heart Rests brings to the table. Usually it's been Yuel's father, Khalil, being the estranged and unfeeling parent who always is dead in the beginning of the games. Now with Reza, Yuel's younger half-brother, it brings some nuance to Khalil's character which is quite refreshing. Anyway, I welcome the addition of Reza because the plot becomes more like a "two fathers raising their son" kind of a deal which is pretty darn wholesome. It is quite a lengthy read but I honestly enjoyed the build up to Chapter 4. Recommended!

I'm still in chapter 2 but this is a incredible vn so far. I love the gut punches and the character relationships, it feels very grounded and believable, with it's roots in really mixed emotions of grief and sadness. Yuel and Tavi counterbalance each other, with Yuel having his heart in the the right place but too mixed up in emotions to really do too much, and Tavi being rough round the edges but being the one who DOES THE THINGS! I really enjoy their dynamic thus far and look forward to seeing more from them. Will hopefully update this review with more thoughts as I finish the vn. But if it keeps going in this direction, its definitely worth the read so far UPDATE: Finished the vn, has a really good curve from grieving people to fluffy wholesome vibes Highly recommand

i become irrationally angry whenever the topic of nataniel comes up. he's not meant to be a villain, just asexual (and i think aromantic?), so i feel a little bad about it, but I can't help it. I like Safiya though. She's nice. I don't know why she doesn't bother me even though Nataniel does. A sweet YuelTavi story that made my heart ache. At least it all worked out in the end.