Only the Ring Finger Knows by Satoru Kannagi and Hotaru Odagiri

Wataru goes to a school where a ring makes a statement about the relationship you're in. Of course matching rings worn on the left ring finger mean that you're in a committed relationship. Wataru lives in ignorant bliss, as he wears a one-of-a-kind ring and therefore can't be claimed by anyone. Or at least that's what he thinks. But then there's a mix up of rings, and suddenly Wataru can't help wondering why the most popular boy at his school Yuichi has started picking on him and why he has the exact same ring as Wataru.

If you've read any shojo manga, then you'll be pretty familiar with the tropes in this novel. Oh! I want to make sure we're clear, this is a novel that was then turned into a manga a little later on because of the popularity of the novel. When I requested this from my public library I first of all assumed that there was only the manga, and then again incorrectly assumed that the manga came first and then the novel. Whoops!

I liked this, had a nice balance of angst, tribulations, and romance. Wataru's character has some understandable reservations about the relationship, and I appreciated the fact that Yuichi isn't always a cool collected dominant. Having said that this does remind me a bit of Twilight. It can't be helped! I mean Wataru is this little darling, who always questions his worth and idolizes Yuichi. He's rather oblivious to other's feelings like Bella, and tends to freak over little bumps in the road. Yuichi is a rather cool customer, who tends to emotionally dominate the relationship and always have an answer to everything.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just seemed to have connections.

There are a couple drawings throughout the book. They're lovely, of course there's lots of focus on hands. There's a blog called LaineyGossip that I like, and she talks about pretty hands as "tea pouring hands and poetry arms." I think that's an appropriate phrase for the boys in this book.

Overall quite adequately done.