jasmine144's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Eden Finley always kills it with the hockey MM romance. I loved this whole story, from beginning to end. I like how we had a cameos from their other books. As always the narrators were amazing. Their voices always leave me wanting more.
hugo19999's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so intimate and weirdly realistic and nostalgic? In some parts and i crave it so much.
milliehawkinss's review
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
adrianoreads's review
4.0
The New Neighbor
Corio Heights Book 1
By Rye Cox
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶
“My new neighbor was hot. And probably, most likely, gay. Oh my god. I had a new, hot, and gay neighbor.”
This a cute friends to lovers, slow burn, MM romance. Zach moves in next door to Caleb and Caleb is immediately smitten. Caleb doesn’t do well with relationships or feelings, but the way he feels around Zach flusters him to the core. Fortunately for Caleb, Zach thinks that a flustered Caleb might be his new favorite thing. The back and forth between these two was so sweet. Caleb, completely insecure in himself questions everything he says and does in front of Zach. It takes him a bit before “Hi” isn’t the only thing he can say. Zach’s empathy for Caleb is so freaking adorable. He does everything he can to make Caleb comfortable. I loved watching their relationship bloom and see peaks about the other books in the series. The only downside was that with every mention of a dessert, I wanted to try them too, but the way they help each other fulfill their dreams was heartwarming. They cared so much about each other and in Caleb’s case, he was willing to try long distance so that Zach could have his dream job.
I really enjoyed this book and these characters. I look forward to returning to Curio City and seeing more of these characters.
iggyebab's review
4.0
I really loved this book. I don’t have any real world experience with questioning me sexuality but Rain’s story seemed so real.
Whit is such a sunshine. He loves hockey but it’s not his dream. He wants to take over the family farm even though he is talented on the ice. For me, that felt so real. Not everybody has that dream even when they are good at something.
I really loved both of them and that their families are great.
Whit is such a sunshine. He loves hockey but it’s not his dream. He wants to take over the family farm even though he is talented on the ice. For me, that felt so real. Not everybody has that dream even when they are good at something.
I really loved both of them and that their families are great.
elliebelle_'s review
4.0
3.5 stars
A sweet friends-to-lovers sexual awakening story, with coming-of-age themes.
I do like the friends-to-lovers trope, and I also like a sexual awakening story. Books with both of these tropes work best for me when the "straight" MC slowly comes into an awareness of his attraction to the other MC and is the one to initiate everything.
I liked that since Whit was a virgin, and Rainn had never been with a man, they were both inexperienced and got to discover everything together.
It's a grumpy/sunshine pairing, and Whit is very sweet and endearing, but I also liked to see Rainn's internal monologue which demonstrated how nervous he was about getting things right. I think they go really well together and I totally buy it as a relationship.
I did find that Rainn was very slow to admit how unfulfilling his life was, working at the bookstore and generally just wallowing about not being able to play hockey professionally. There was good character development with him accepting that he might not play hockey professionally, but that doesn't mean he can't still work in the industry, but it did seem a bit rushed at the end and it bogged down the middle of the book.
The conflict between Whit and Rainn felt very authentic and I'm glad it wasn't anything to do with internalised homophobia or coming-out, which are often the source of conflicts in books with these tropes.
The narration by Tim Paige and Iggy Toma was good, though I found their voices quite similar and it didn't necessarily help me distinguish between the characters.
Sexual content: Explicit, not OTT. First times, dry-humping, handjobs, blowjobs, anal sex (strict top/bottom).
A sweet friends-to-lovers sexual awakening story, with coming-of-age themes.
I do like the friends-to-lovers trope, and I also like a sexual awakening story. Books with both of these tropes work best for me when the "straight" MC slowly comes into an awareness of his attraction to the other MC and is the one to initiate everything.
I liked that since Whit was a virgin, and Rainn had never been with a man, they were both inexperienced and got to discover everything together.
It's a grumpy/sunshine pairing, and Whit is very sweet and endearing, but I also liked to see Rainn's internal monologue which demonstrated how nervous he was about getting things right. I think they go really well together and I totally buy it as a relationship.
I did find that Rainn was very slow to admit how unfulfilling his life was, working at the bookstore and generally just wallowing about not being able to play hockey professionally. There was good character development with him accepting that he might not play hockey professionally, but that doesn't mean he can't still work in the industry, but it did seem a bit rushed at the end and it bogged down the middle of the book.
The conflict between Whit and Rainn felt very authentic and I'm glad it wasn't anything to do with internalised homophobia or coming-out, which are often the source of conflicts in books with these tropes.
The narration by Tim Paige and Iggy Toma was good, though I found their voices quite similar and it didn't necessarily help me distinguish between the characters.
Sexual content: Explicit, not OTT. First times, dry-humping, handjobs, blowjobs, anal sex (strict top/bottom).
bonnierochelle's review against another edition
4.75
My absolute favourite of the series. Love how it ties in with Eden’s other works with Saxon as well. It was sweet and so hilarious, like seriously laugh out loud funny, especially the epilogue.
mello_cra02's review
3.0
I didn't enjoy the writing and didn't connect with the story. But it was fun to read.