Absolutely. This is also just my personal take, but I'm willing to go as far as to say that, aside from personality and temperament, Ruth is more attractive than the actual male lead. For one thing, at least he has normal body proportions, unlike some MLs who are built to look like industrial fridges, lol.
Well said. Whenever he's on it makes me happy because he's been Maxi's confidant all this time. He is level headed and has actually stood his ground against Riftan on some occasions when needed. I believe he's also the one who taught Maxi to take her time to read and arrange her thoughts and speak slowly making Maxi practice more with how she speaks and helped her gain confidence conversing with others.
Ruth is one of the best characters in this book, such a green flag that I actually breathe a sigh of relief every time he appears. This man knows how to communicate honestly and healthily. He never hides the truth from Maxie, because he treats her with respect and as a true equal. With his intelligence, patience, and kindness, I would say that Ruth consistently outshines the actual love interest. I would have preferred him in that role…