Scan barcode
lezreadalot's review against another edition
4.0
Hope. And wasn’t that just the fucking scariest craving of all.
I haven't read a Roan Parrish book in a while, and every time I do, I forget how effortlessly she makes me fall for her characters, no matter the genre she's writing in. Rockstar romance isn't my favourite, but it definitely helped that this was a quieter sort of romance. We have Theo, the reluctant lead of a new and popular band, who feels alienated by his bandmates, and uncomfortable with his new-found fame. Then we also have Caleb, an older recovering addict and a former musician, trying to put the pieces of his life back together after his fourth time in rehab.
Their romance was so, so lovely. They had their misunderstandings, and their drawbacks, but it felt like a natural progress of the relationship, rather than unrealistic drama. They were so perfect for one another. I love stories like this, of people who are damaged and hurting in different ways, but still manage to find love through each other. Healing through music! I loved it. I especially loved the portrayal of Caleb's addiction and recovery, the fact that it was an ongoing struggle for him, the conversations that he had with his sponsor, the ways in which he struggles to believe that he could be good enough for Theo. At the same time, his addiction wasn't treated like a failure on his part. This was just so wonderful, and so sexy, and it did what few books about music can actually make happen for me: it made me wish that I could listen to their original songs. Parrish just described them so vividly and so wonderfully and made it all come alive. Her writing is just so good!
Listened to the audiobook as read by Iggy Toma and Charlie Chambers, and they made for a great duo. They played off of one another really well and I love their voices. I'm not sure how much I'm interested in the other books in this series but since it's Roan Parrish, I might one day give them a try.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
past drug addiction and alcohol abuseI made my song into a fist, and I punched the only way I knew how.
akr_reads's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
lifeand100books's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This is certainly a book chock-full of angst. Each character has a tremendous journey of self-discovery that they must undertake to become healthy and able to love themselves as well as each other. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to read another Parrish book.
sasreadsthings's review against another edition
3.0
This is a solid 3.5
There are some beautiful moments of intimacy here, but it just felt like something was missing. There was never any tension, the outcome was exactly what I expected.
They were beautiful characters, a nice story with some spectacular visuals, but there was just this air of unfulfilled potential in this book.
There are some beautiful moments of intimacy here, but it just felt like something was missing. There was never any tension, the outcome was exactly what I expected.
They were beautiful characters, a nice story with some spectacular visuals, but there was just this air of unfulfilled potential in this book.
chandlerainsley's review against another edition
4.0
we're talking EMO MAN OF MY DREAMS with tats and flippy black hair we're talking GAY ROMANCE we're talking GAY CUDDLING AND AFFECTION
ok this was so much fun. we've got a sexy gay rockstar, theo, who is straight out of my 13 yr old myspace dreams. longish black hair, tattoos, eyeliner and nail polish wearing. and then we have the lumber sexual, caleb, who is the sweetest recovering heroin addict.
from the very beginning this book was unlike most MM romances i've picked up. i hadn't realized it before there's usually a lot of attraction and sexual experiences in these books but not a lot of affection and adoration. from the beginning, the way that caleb talks about theo had be swooning. his description of physical characteristics along with the goods and bads of theo's personality were so heartfelt.
and then there was all the cuddling. after the first time they had sex, caleb pulled theo onto his chest so they could sleep like that and he rubbed theo's back. HELLO is that not the dream?
i think too often we get stories where the gay main characters are emotionally damaged and scared of intimacy beyond sex. that wasn't the case here. caleb and theo had an instant spark. there was no insta love, but there was an innate intimacy to their relationship from the very beginning.
there was so much to love about this book. the plot was all about self discovery and also realizing that you can so that self discovery while in a serious relationship.
the only thing i wasn't thrilled with and the only reason i docked this a star was due to caleb's behavior. theo would verbalize his affections, caleb would freak out and pull away. even though theo was just verbalizing behaviors that both of them were already displaying. i understand caleb is a recovering addict but after the first or second time of dumb behavior you figure he would have learned to not push away the one guy who kept giving him chances.
all in all, this really stood apart from all other MM in my eyes. absolutely fantastic and i can't wait to read more from this author.
ok this was so much fun. we've got a sexy gay rockstar, theo, who is straight out of my 13 yr old myspace dreams. longish black hair, tattoos, eyeliner and nail polish wearing. and then we have the lumber sexual, caleb, who is the sweetest recovering heroin addict.
from the very beginning this book was unlike most MM romances i've picked up. i hadn't realized it before there's usually a lot of attraction and sexual experiences in these books but not a lot of affection and adoration. from the beginning, the way that caleb talks about theo had be swooning. his description of physical characteristics along with the goods and bads of theo's personality were so heartfelt.
and then there was all the cuddling. after the first time they had sex, caleb pulled theo onto his chest so they could sleep like that and he rubbed theo's back. HELLO is that not the dream?
i think too often we get stories where the gay main characters are emotionally damaged and scared of intimacy beyond sex. that wasn't the case here. caleb and theo had an instant spark. there was no insta love, but there was an innate intimacy to their relationship from the very beginning.
there was so much to love about this book. the plot was all about self discovery and also realizing that you can so that self discovery while in a serious relationship.
the only thing i wasn't thrilled with and the only reason i docked this a star was due to caleb's behavior. theo would verbalize his affections, caleb would freak out and pull away. even though theo was just verbalizing behaviors that both of them were already displaying. i understand caleb is a recovering addict but after the first or second time of dumb behavior you figure he would have learned to not push away the one guy who kept giving him chances.
all in all, this really stood apart from all other MM in my eyes. absolutely fantastic and i can't wait to read more from this author.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
5.0
When I read the blurb I felt like I've read/listened to the exact same plot multiple times already but I gave it ago anywho and I'm so happy I did. There was some tropes I've read before although the split it self sounded like its own story all together. I loved the talk about addictions and the more "personally" angst instead of something happened/miss understanding for the couple. I'm so excited to read/listen to more by Roan Parrish
erinnicole28's review against another edition
5.0
This book is perfection.
This song sums up the book to me. Hunger by Florence + The Machine
https://youtu.be/5GHXEGz3PJg
This song sums up the book to me. Hunger by Florence + The Machine
https://youtu.be/5GHXEGz3PJg
alexisisreading's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my god.
Okay.
How did you tell someone who was practically a stranger that you’d been thinking about him for weeks? That you realized spending time with him had been the best you’d felt in longer than you could remember? That you kind of wondered if maybe you could just stand near him in the hopes of soaking up some of that good feeling again?
Theo and Caleb were everything to me. I loved their relationship from the very beginning. Both men are experiencing very different types of loneliness. Theo is the outsider in his own band - he feels disconnected from his bandmates, he hates being famous, yet he desperately craves intimacy and connection. Meanwhile Caleb is a recovering addict and has removed himself from that lifestyle in order to stay sober. He's wary about letting Theo in because Theo's lifestyle is the exact lifestyle Caleb left. He struggles throughout the book with accepting that Theo is someone he wants and allowing himself to have Theo because he wants to keep his privacy.
Sometimes people need other people. I really liked how Theo and Caleb pushed each other to confront the things they were keeping down before. Theo felt like he owed the band and because of that he was sticking it out - Caleb allowed for him to reflect and realize that he owed it to himself to do what makes him happy. Similarly Theo helped push Caleb back into making music, back into writing songs and sharing it with the world.
I thought Theo and Caleb were good together, I thought Theo's restless energy was a good match for Caleb and I thought Caleb's straightforwardness was good in helping Theo not overthink as much.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I love the hurt/comfort, the tender and steamy spice, and just two men being completely whipped for one another.
We were locked up tight, clinging together, and there wasn’t a fucking thing in the world that could have made me let him go.
Okay.
How did you tell someone who was practically a stranger that you’d been thinking about him for weeks? That you realized spending time with him had been the best you’d felt in longer than you could remember? That you kind of wondered if maybe you could just stand near him in the hopes of soaking up some of that good feeling again?
Theo and Caleb were everything to me. I loved their relationship from the very beginning. Both men are experiencing very different types of loneliness. Theo is the outsider in his own band - he feels disconnected from his bandmates, he hates being famous, yet he desperately craves intimacy and connection. Meanwhile Caleb is a recovering addict and has removed himself from that lifestyle in order to stay sober. He's wary about letting Theo in because Theo's lifestyle is the exact lifestyle Caleb left. He struggles throughout the book with accepting that Theo is someone he wants and allowing himself to have Theo because he wants to keep his privacy.
Sometimes people need other people. I really liked how Theo and Caleb pushed each other to confront the things they were keeping down before. Theo felt like he owed the band and because of that he was sticking it out - Caleb allowed for him to reflect and realize that he owed it to himself to do what makes him happy. Similarly Theo helped push Caleb back into making music, back into writing songs and sharing it with the world.
I thought Theo and Caleb were good together, I thought Theo's restless energy was a good match for Caleb and I thought Caleb's straightforwardness was good in helping Theo not overthink as much.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I love the hurt/comfort, the tender and steamy spice, and just two men being completely whipped for one another.
We were locked up tight, clinging together, and there wasn’t a fucking thing in the world that could have made me let him go.
bookish_notes's review against another edition
5.0
omg this book is SO moving and magical. I LOVE Theo and Caleb!!! <3
liza5326's review against another edition
5.0
I love rock star stories, but I REALLY love broken men. Riven givens me both. Theo is a rock star, but hates being famous, just loving the music. Caleb is a recovering addict who is afraid that giving into the music again will drag him back into his addiction, even though he breathes music. When they come together, their music is beautiful. It is almost cliche how perfect they are for each other. It was such an entrancing story that I just starting listening and lost myself in it, Iggy Toma and Chris Chambers providing the perfect narration. I can't wait to get Rhys and Matt's story!