myzanm's review against another edition
4.0
A funny sweet story. Nick was awkward and adorable. No wonder Jai struggled to figure him out.
scrow1022's review against another edition
4.0
Loved these guys. (Also really connected to Nick, didn't even realize how much so until a few days after finishing.) Such a gentle, tender book. Teared up often, laughed just as much.
thegreatmanda's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
5.0
This was a quick, raunchy, hilarious read, cuter than it has any business being, with an occasional tidbit of feeling or wisdom tucked into the madness. Nick is a ridiculous, adorable himbo, and I love him. His friendship with Devon is a unicorn, the kind of tender male friendship I crave in fiction and wish I could witness in real life. And then there's Jai, who may seem like the calm adult among the chaos, but has his own rich inner life and just enough mischief in him.
Favorite Quotes:
Favorite Quotes:
Nick's not the kind of guy who can write sonnets or anything, mostly because he can't remember how to, but if he happens to have a page in his notebook dedicated entirely to ass-related haikus, that's his business, right?
Nick's job is super dull. He mostly takes care of answering the phone and doing filing, and stapling things. Sometimes the things don't even need stapling, but Nick does it anyway. He makes shiny little railroad tracks along the tops of documents. His record is thirty-eight staples on one thing. Then he picked thirty-seven of them out again because he remembered he was supposed to be professional.
"It was an accident?" Nick attempts.
"An accident?" Chris huffs out. "An accident? You accidentally gave someone a blowjob?"
Devon's too scared to make a move because he's been crippled by the weight of his male privilege. He only discovered it a few months ago, and it's shaken him up pretty badly.
Jai almost laughs when, a few seconds later, Nick comes into view out the front window, punching the air in victory. He even does a weird little dance.
"I can still see you," Jai calls out the window.
Nick freezes like a raccoon caught in a porch light, then very slowly turns around to face the window. He gives Jai an awkward wave.
"My mom and stepdad will be away, and since the last thing Lewis used the pool for was so his pastor could come over and, like, adult baptize people, I'm counting on you and Nick to get in the water and really gay it up."
After lunch he steals another pen from the office supplies.
He calls it Gloria, and decides that it's his favorite.
"I think that when we're little, they tell us stories about being heroes and saving the universe, and then when we get older, they tell us to grow up and stop believing in dumb stories anymore."
He just ... Nick wanted to be special. He wanted to be Luke, with a destiny. He wanted to be Frodo, with a quest. He wanted to be an unlikely hero and do something that mattered, but there are no quests in the real world, where everything is much bigger and more tangled and complex than in the stories he loves. In the real world, small people don't get to be heroes, and Nick is the smallest person he knows.
"It's really hard to keep count of the minutes when we're fucking, Jai!" Nick counters, his voice rising. "I'm very easily distracted by your perfect ass and your incredible dick!"
Someone downstairs drops something breakable.
"Please tell me your dad doesn't have a shotgun," Jai whispers in the sudden, terrible silence.
henriklukee's review against another edition
5.0
4,8 points.
this book really resonated with me. a quick and easy read with big underlying themes about youth and life and the purpose of it all. i'll have to get a copy of this for my own meager library so i can read it again.
this book really resonated with me. a quick and easy read with big underlying themes about youth and life and the purpose of it all. i'll have to get a copy of this for my own meager library so i can read it again.
lindsayb09's review against another edition
4.0
4.75 stars, damn near perfect! I listened to the audiobook version, which was fantastic. I knew within the first few minutes that I was in for a real treat.The narrator had subtly distinct voices for each character, especially the 3 leads, and they fit them just perfectly. You know when a voice really adds life to a character? Nick Russo definitely did that for Jai, Nick, and Devon.The differences were subtle, just slight changes of pitch and inflection, but I never had any doubt who was speaking or narrating.
The story itself is simply hilarious. I cackled out loud more times than I can count, and definitely wheezed at least a few times. Nick is so adorably guileless and just full of enthusiasm (and anxiety), I related to him a lot. Jai is the perfect cool and stoic type on the surface, but I love how sweet and considerate he is, with both Nick and his family. And Devon, omg Devon. Their easy, unquestioningly supportive bromance would be my favorite thing about this book if I didn't enjoy Jai and Nick's dynamic so much as well. Hell, I even loved Ebony, and Kat, and Jai's mom. Everyone is just so loveable. I wasn't expecting that kind of story from Lisa Henry (looove her angst fests, don't get me wrong), so it was such a pleasant surprise.
I took off just .25 from a perfect score because the end felt just a bit rushed. I had gotten to the last half hour and everything was still up in the air, and I was worried about how it would all tie up. It ends pretty much EXACTLY as I hoped/expected, but it all happens in about 10 minutes. They made some big life decisions, and they just felt a little too rushed after the pace of the rest of the story.
Also, I would definitely read an entire series of Jai and Nick's travel adventures. Many, many books (Devon would have to join them at some point, though, I need 3-man puppy pile cuddles with Nick in the middle, and Jai just being all cool and Zen about it, please&thank you)
This is a re-listen for sure.
The story itself is simply hilarious. I cackled out loud more times than I can count, and definitely wheezed at least a few times. Nick is so adorably guileless and just full of enthusiasm (and anxiety), I related to him a lot. Jai is the perfect cool and stoic type on the surface, but I love how sweet and considerate he is, with both Nick and his family. And Devon, omg Devon. Their easy, unquestioningly supportive bromance would be my favorite thing about this book if I didn't enjoy Jai and Nick's dynamic so much as well. Hell, I even loved Ebony, and Kat, and Jai's mom. Everyone is just so loveable. I wasn't expecting that kind of story from Lisa Henry (looove her angst fests, don't get me wrong), so it was such a pleasant surprise.
I took off just .25 from a perfect score because the end felt just a bit rushed. I had gotten to the last half hour and everything was still up in the air, and I was worried about how it would all tie up. It ends pretty much EXACTLY as I hoped/expected, but it all happens in about 10 minutes. They made some big life decisions, and they just felt a little too rushed after the pace of the rest of the story.
Also, I would definitely read an entire series of Jai and Nick's travel adventures. Many, many books (Devon would have to join them at some point, though, I need 3-man puppy pile cuddles with Nick in the middle, and Jai just being all cool and Zen about it, please&thank you)
This is a re-listen for sure.
papercranestitches's review against another edition
4.0
*** 4.5 Stars ***
This book was a great, big slice of happy and I loved every page.
This book was a great, big slice of happy and I loved every page.
elliebelle_'s review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
A fun and easy first-love story that fell a bit flat on the emotional front.
Nick, 18, has been lusting after Jai, 25, who works on one of the construction sites at Nick's new (and first-ever) job. After a few weeks of staring at him, Nick takes his courage in his hands and decides to ask Jai if he can suck his dick.
Jai is only back in town for a few months of the year to make money before he heads off traveling again. When he accepts Nick's offer, they get caught in flagrante, and both lose their jobs.
Jai is at a loss for what to do. Nick comes to see him to apologise, and there's something so sweet and endearing about him that Jai figures they might as well fool around until it's time for him to head off.
This book got off to a good start. Nick is young, he's fun and quirky, and he's frankly a hot mess. He doesn't want to go away to college at the end of the summer, but can't bring himself to tell his family, so just lives in his little world of delusion, messing around and not taking anything seriously.
Unfortunately, Nick started to grate on me as the book went on, and there wasn't quite enough character development to make up for it. He's very immature, and his life would be much easier if he stopped to think for literally one second before speaking instead of just word-vomiting all over everyone.
Them getting caught on the construction site was funny, but they're also interrupted while going at it twice more in this book, and the gag just wasn't funny the third time around.
I liked the outcome of the book, but thought the epilogue was too soon in the timeframe and I'm not sure I believe that they'd really get a HEA at that point. Nick still had a lot of personal growth to do.
The book is very well-written though, and I really like the author's style. There were plenty of cultural references - some mainstream fandoms, some literary - and the tone was light but there were lots of pretty words that I really appreciated.
Sexual content: Explicit but not OTT, and awkwardly realistic. First times, blowjobs, anal sex (verse).
A fun and easy first-love story that fell a bit flat on the emotional front.
Nick, 18, has been lusting after Jai, 25, who works on one of the construction sites at Nick's new (and first-ever) job. After a few weeks of staring at him, Nick takes his courage in his hands and decides to ask Jai if he can suck his dick.
Jai is only back in town for a few months of the year to make money before he heads off traveling again. When he accepts Nick's offer, they get caught in flagrante, and both lose their jobs.
Jai is at a loss for what to do. Nick comes to see him to apologise, and there's something so sweet and endearing about him that Jai figures they might as well fool around until it's time for him to head off.
This book got off to a good start. Nick is young, he's fun and quirky, and he's frankly a hot mess. He doesn't want to go away to college at the end of the summer, but can't bring himself to tell his family, so just lives in his little world of delusion, messing around and not taking anything seriously.
Unfortunately, Nick started to grate on me as the book went on, and there wasn't quite enough character development to make up for it. He's very immature, and his life would be much easier if he stopped to think for literally one second before speaking instead of just word-vomiting all over everyone.
Them getting caught on the construction site was funny, but they're also interrupted while going at it twice more in this book, and the gag just wasn't funny the third time around.
I liked the outcome of the book, but thought the epilogue was too soon in the timeframe and I'm not sure I believe that they'd really get a HEA at that point. Nick still had a lot of personal growth to do.
The book is very well-written though, and I really like the author's style. There were plenty of cultural references - some mainstream fandoms, some literary - and the tone was light but there were lots of pretty words that I really appreciated.
Sexual content: Explicit but not OTT, and awkwardly realistic. First times, blowjobs, anal sex (verse).
jenvile's review against another edition
3.0
This was literally like watching a train wreck unfold right in front of your very eyes but you couldn’t look away. The amount of times I said “Jesus Fucking Christ” is crazy.
These characters are not perfect, or hot, or super sexy or filthy rich billboard handsome. These guys are awkward, sometimes quite stupid, inexperienced and they often make the dumbest decisions. But that’s part of trying to be an adult and honestly, part of its charm. I related so much to these idiots.
This story is totally awkward but totally relatable. Too relatable. But even then, it’s a story I don’t often gravitate to because I like to read fiction to escape my own realities. Also, Lisa Henry is amazing at angst, drama and sexual tension which I didn’t get any here (and I understand because it wasn’t the intention!) but it’s something I appreciate from her as a writer because she’s imo, one of the handful who can actually write it so well, without it bordering on being overdramatic. It’s like, real pain and torment you know.
Props to her for changing it up with this one, though I don’t think I’d be re-reading this again tbh.
These characters are not perfect, or hot, or super sexy or filthy rich billboard handsome. These guys are awkward, sometimes quite stupid, inexperienced and they often make the dumbest decisions. But that’s part of trying to be an adult and honestly, part of its charm. I related so much to these idiots.
This story is totally awkward but totally relatable. Too relatable. But even then, it’s a story I don’t often gravitate to because I like to read fiction to escape my own realities. Also, Lisa Henry is amazing at angst, drama and sexual tension which I didn’t get any here (and I understand because it wasn’t the intention!) but it’s something I appreciate from her as a writer because she’s imo, one of the handful who can actually write it so well, without it bordering on being overdramatic. It’s like, real pain and torment you know.
Props to her for changing it up with this one, though I don’t think I’d be re-reading this again tbh.
ly_lysee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0