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jennp28's review
lighthearted
4.0
Enjoyable entry in the famous-person-meets-random-person genre, with gay awakening in the mix. Nice spice level. Good meet-cute. Instalove.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
tamke's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
CW: main character dealing with mental health issues, including on page anxiety attacks. References to a minor side character dying by suicide (off page and happens prior to the story starting). Cheating but not between the main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
bibliomania_express's review
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
_isabel_'s review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Cute and sweet!
A quick and steamy morsel by Lark Taylor, but unfortunately it didn't totally work for me.
I'm a sucker for forced proximity and bi-awakening stories, so this one by all accounts should have worked for me: unfortunately, some things were missing.
But first things first, the positives:
1) I totally adored the fact that there was mental health rep. I applaud Lark Taylor for introducing a chronic sufferer of anxiety as a main character: more authors should follow her lead because the world desperately needs more diverse reads.
2) I loved the side characters. Arlo and Jack intrigued me to no end, and I cannot wait for their book. I hope the angst delivers! And Silas and Kai already made my heart bleed with the oblivious-bff-pining. I'm excited to see what will happen with them.
3) I loved Luca as a main character. He was really great: again, I found him relatable for the mental health rep, and in general, he was really lovable.
So why three stars?
I think my brain has had enough with the constant-banter- and-sexual-innuendos-fueled contemporary romances: I don't get why they have become the norm in the genre. I can't stand pointless banter anymore; I love funny books, don't get me wrong... But there's a difference between a good, snarky, funny book and the ones that seem to be dominating the MM genre recently. That's the reason why Ollie and Luca's dynamic didn't totally work for me: their initial meeting and getting-to-know-you phase were both great; but after that, it was mainly banter, sex and miscommunication, and I got a tiny bit bored. I needed more plot, more heart, more grit and more soul. I read it easily, don't get me wrong; I just felt like it was missing something.
I so wish I could have loved this more, especially considering it's an ARC generously provided by the author. But I cannot not be honest with my thoughts and feelings.
I also feel like I'm in the minority here; lots of people are loving this, and lots of people obviously love banter-fueled, light-hearted romances. I don't think this specific type of subgenre of MM is for me anymore, BUT I'll definitely be reading the next few books, if only for Arlo and Jack.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
A quick and steamy morsel by Lark Taylor, but unfortunately it didn't totally work for me.
I'm a sucker for forced proximity and bi-awakening stories, so this one by all accounts should have worked for me: unfortunately, some things were missing.
But first things first, the positives:
1) I totally adored the fact that there was mental health rep. I applaud Lark Taylor for introducing a chronic sufferer of anxiety as a main character: more authors should follow her lead because the world desperately needs more diverse reads.
2) I loved the side characters. Arlo and Jack intrigued me to no end, and I cannot wait for their book. I hope the angst delivers! And Silas and Kai already made my heart bleed with the oblivious-bff-pining. I'm excited to see what will happen with them.
3) I loved Luca as a main character. He was really great: again, I found him relatable for the mental health rep, and in general, he was really lovable.
So why three stars?
I think my brain has had enough with the constant-banter- and-sexual-innuendos-fueled contemporary romances: I don't get why they have become the norm in the genre. I can't stand pointless banter anymore; I love funny books, don't get me wrong... But there's a difference between a good, snarky, funny book and the ones that seem to be dominating the MM genre recently. That's the reason why Ollie and Luca's dynamic didn't totally work for me: their initial meeting and getting-to-know-you phase were both great; but after that, it was mainly banter, sex and miscommunication, and I got a tiny bit bored. I needed more plot, more heart, more grit and more soul. I read it easily, don't get me wrong; I just felt like it was missing something.
I so wish I could have loved this more, especially considering it's an ARC generously provided by the author. But I cannot not be honest with my thoughts and feelings.
I also feel like I'm in the minority here; lots of people are loving this, and lots of people obviously love banter-fueled, light-hearted romances. I don't think this specific type of subgenre of MM is for me anymore, BUT I'll definitely be reading the next few books, if only for Arlo and Jack.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicide
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