“Good speed on your travels, young Wren. I feel you are like a young prince who came into this house and woke us all up from an enchanted sleep.”There is a lot to this delightful story that drew me in: the snazzy dialogue, the precise, light writing style and the casually unfolding story of Wren, a young man from England who has never had a family, and Mateo, an older man and hotel chain heir, whose family ruses have left him craving control and fear true, long-lasting intimacy. What's kept me glued to the page was the palpable chemistry of these two characters, albeit that their miscommunications were frustrating to witness at times. Wren and Mateo are both deeply flawed characters that have to overcome their own insecurities, whilst being confronted with people who are sometimes characterised as well-meaning, but nevertheless snobby little pricks, that seem to have grown accustomed to put other people down.I highly value reading experiences like this, since it's quite rare for me not being able to put a book down; but "The Cuckoo's Call" managed to do just that. I was heavily invested in these characters that, in the beginning, seemed quite odd to me. I've grown especially fond of Wren, since his inability to allow others to know his own needs really struck a chord with me. I could have wished for more reflection on that part: that he really (on the page) learns to take up space, to allow himself to voice his needs, instead I've felt like this issue was quite overshadowed by Mateo's (to be fair: just as important!) character development; I also would have liked to see more likeable female supporting characters - with the exception of Mateo's mother there really were no women in it to root for; moreso: most of the female characters were absolutely heinous, which I found to be disappointing.But overall I really, really liked this book, especially the kindness of the main characters, the gentle telling of their (at times heart wrenching) lovestory and the prevailing humour have made this a delightful reading experience. I even appreciated the Pathos (and yes, there is a lot of that), and found that my cold dead heart could be quite forgiving of overly romantic story archs, as long as I can root for the characters - and root for them, I did.