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kschrimshaw's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
a_hekk's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tobyryan's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jsncnrd's review against another edition
5.0
I'm infamous for crying at books, but this was different. I haven't ugly cried like this because of a book in a few months (I'm looking at you, A Little Life).
I absolutely loved and adored Something Like Summer. I read it this past summer (lol) and fell in love with not only the story, but the characters. Particularly Jace. When I found out there was a sequel that was told from his POV and included his backstory, I was beyond excited to read it.
The entire first two-thirds of the book were spent on Jace's experiences before he met Ben, especially his teenage years. Jace's love for Victor was beautiful, and it showed us what a hopeful, loyal, forgiving, empathetic boy Jace was. He was everything a protagonist should be.
Commence Spoiler Alert:
After we find out what happens to Victor and we see the grief and emotion that Jace has to battle for the remainder of his life, my heart was in pieces on the floor. It was just so genuine and human. I loved getting Jace's side of the story when it came to him and Ben's relationship, fallout, reunion, marriage, and the ending.
Having read the first book, I obviously knew what was coming at the end of the book. I was wondering how it would work -- the point of view of a character AS they passed away. I thought I was ready, but I wasn't. My emotions were all over the place as I read that final, heart-wrenching, moving scene. It was beautiful, tragic, and poetic.
I cannot even express how much I love Jace and what his character stands for. Of him, Ben, and Tim, there is no contest as to who my favorite of the three is. Jace was a pure, kind soul and despite the ending, I was so happy that he finally found the love he was looking for.
When I read those final three words, my heart was both broken and full at the same time. I could think of no better way to celebrate Jace's life and no other way to end his story.
"He was loved."
I absolutely loved and adored Something Like Summer. I read it this past summer (lol) and fell in love with not only the story, but the characters. Particularly Jace. When I found out there was a sequel that was told from his POV and included his backstory, I was beyond excited to read it.
The entire first two-thirds of the book were spent on Jace's experiences before he met Ben, especially his teenage years. Jace's love for Victor was beautiful, and it showed us what a hopeful, loyal, forgiving, empathetic boy Jace was. He was everything a protagonist should be.
Commence Spoiler Alert:
After we find out what happens to Victor and we see the grief and emotion that Jace has to battle for the remainder of his life, my heart was in pieces on the floor. It was just so genuine and human. I loved getting Jace's side of the story when it came to him and Ben's relationship, fallout, reunion, marriage, and the ending.
Having read the first book, I obviously knew what was coming at the end of the book. I was wondering how it would work -- the point of view of a character AS they passed away. I thought I was ready, but I wasn't. My emotions were all over the place as I read that final, heart-wrenching, moving scene. It was beautiful, tragic, and poetic.
I cannot even express how much I love Jace and what his character stands for. Of him, Ben, and Tim, there is no contest as to who my favorite of the three is. Jace was a pure, kind soul and despite the ending, I was so happy that he finally found the love he was looking for.
When I read those final three words, my heart was both broken and full at the same time. I could think of no better way to celebrate Jace's life and no other way to end his story.
"He was loved."
netslummer's review
5.0
Man this was rough. Jace <3
Getting to see Jace before Ben was awesome. It was really hard to read without getting upset though, for obvious Something Like Summer spoiler reasons. I just love Jace so much.
Getting to see Jace before Ben was awesome. It was really hard to read without getting upset though, for obvious Something Like Summer spoiler reasons. I just love Jace so much.
lastnightangel's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ryanpfw's review
5.0
I’m a big fan of this series, despite not being the target audience. This was always my favorite of the bunch, and stays that way after my second re-read.
Originally, this came third in the series and was slid back to second. It works better flow-wise that way as the plot overlap comes at the half-way point and doesn’t condense Tim and Ben’s early story into the first two books. Tim comes off like a jerk, as he should, and it works just as well this way that we’ll get his missing years in book three.
It’s funny how memory works. I always remembered this story exposed Jace’s early years and what he learned from his own personal experience being in Ben’s position once with Victor, and how that guided the zen like thing he pulled off in Something Like Summer. If I took two minutes to realize it, or re-read the book, I’d see that wasn’t actually what happened. Jace wasn’t in the middle, except if you include Adrien, which narratively doesn’t work. If anyone, Victor was divided in life, not Jace. The advice Jace got from Starr on how to handle it then served him well, but Jace’s spiritual connection to Victor after death is what brought Jace that peace to forgive, not his teenage experiences. There’s a short later dealing with Jace’s burial that reinforces this point.
This one is always a favorite of mine, especially how it just stops. We get more storyline later in book twelve and beyond, but what I always loved about this series, along with its transecting plot arcs is how we get 10-12 chapters in an environment, in a time period, and then we move on. 250 pages turns into a wild journey.
Great stuff.
Originally, this came third in the series and was slid back to second. It works better flow-wise that way as the plot overlap comes at the half-way point and doesn’t condense Tim and Ben’s early story into the first two books. Tim comes off like a jerk, as he should, and it works just as well this way that we’ll get his missing years in book three.
It’s funny how memory works. I always remembered this story exposed Jace’s early years and what he learned from his own personal experience being in Ben’s position once with Victor, and how that guided the zen like thing he pulled off in Something Like Summer. If I took two minutes to realize it, or re-read the book, I’d see that wasn’t actually what happened. Jace wasn’t in the middle, except if you include Adrien, which narratively doesn’t work. If anyone, Victor was divided in life, not Jace. The advice Jace got from Starr on how to handle it then served him well, but Jace’s spiritual connection to Victor after death is what brought Jace that peace to forgive, not his teenage experiences. There’s a short later dealing with Jace’s burial that reinforces this point.
This one is always a favorite of mine, especially how it just stops. We get more storyline later in book twelve and beyond, but what I always loved about this series, along with its transecting plot arcs is how we get 10-12 chapters in an environment, in a time period, and then we move on. 250 pages turns into a wild journey.
Great stuff.
leodramaqueen's review
5.0
I can't remember last time a book touched me this much, maybe the first book in the series. When you think Jay Bell has made all the wonderful characters he can, he pulls another out the hat. Jace and Victor's romance is amazing and beautiful. I love Jace, he is one of the most beautiful literary creations I have ever encountered. This is one of my favourite books in the world! Jay Bell is such a fantastic author. Can't wait for the movie!
teresab78's review against another edition
5.0
****Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance****
4.95 Stars
I had Something Like Autumn on my to-be-read pile as it was nominated in the MM Romance group for several annual awards. I have not read the first two books in the series, but had heard a lot about them. With that knowledge came spoilers that made me wary of what I would find in the pages of “Autumn”. Themes of infidelity had me not wanting to read the first two books at all and I had put off reading the third until a challenge put it front and center.
I love reading. Books affect me in very different ways, depending on the subject matter, and a well-crafted story hits me hard and engages all my emotions. I tend to stay away from books that I feel will push my buttons too deeply though, as I don’t always want to experience such strong feelings. That being said, I don’t usually sob during books. I feel sad, might get a tear or two, but not sob.
This book made me bawl. I wasn’t prepared for the level of heartache and struggles Jace faced. That isn’t to say there weren’t happy times, or times of love, because there were. However the whole book had a melancholy feel to it. The addition of the themes of suicide and mortality made it especially hard for me to read on a personal level. The whole book had moments that hit me personally and made me wonder what I would have done, or question choices I made as to whether I did the right thing. It sat with me for a long time.
The writing was superb. It flowed well and captured me. The time jumps moved the story along without missing too much. The characters were all interesting; flawed but real. Jace was a wonderful person who weathered his life well; he was hopeful (once you made it through chapter one) and forgiving. Victor was a troubled soul who needed different help than what he got. However, I didn’t really like Ben. I found him childish and weak; I thought he was lucky to have Jace. I didn’t feel as much of a connection between Jace and Ben as I might have had I read book one (which, I assume, had the missing pieces).
This brings me to whether I actually liked the book… I wasn’t left feeling good; I felt bereft and sad. I need my books to leave feeling better off for having read them, either because they gave me a thrill or pleasure, or because they comforted me emotionally and left me feeling love is real and attainable. This book ripped my heart out, but I didn’t feel that it was put back together. I literally can’t stop crying as I write this, and it’s been three hours since I finished the book. But being able to affect your audience is one of the marks of a good book…
So, while I’ll not be reading any other books in this series, if you like your books to make you feel and don’t need a happily ever after for all your characters, read this book. If suicide, infidelity and main character death are triggers, don’t.
One last thing: even if you don’t read this book, read the Authors Note; it’s important
4.95 Stars
I had Something Like Autumn on my to-be-read pile as it was nominated in the MM Romance group for several annual awards. I have not read the first two books in the series, but had heard a lot about them. With that knowledge came spoilers that made me wary of what I would find in the pages of “Autumn”. Themes of infidelity had me not wanting to read the first two books at all and I had put off reading the third until a challenge put it front and center.
I love reading. Books affect me in very different ways, depending on the subject matter, and a well-crafted story hits me hard and engages all my emotions. I tend to stay away from books that I feel will push my buttons too deeply though, as I don’t always want to experience such strong feelings. That being said, I don’t usually sob during books. I feel sad, might get a tear or two, but not sob.
This book made me bawl. I wasn’t prepared for the level of heartache and struggles Jace faced. That isn’t to say there weren’t happy times, or times of love, because there were. However the whole book had a melancholy feel to it. The addition of the themes of suicide and mortality made it especially hard for me to read on a personal level. The whole book had moments that hit me personally and made me wonder what I would have done, or question choices I made as to whether I did the right thing. It sat with me for a long time.
The writing was superb. It flowed well and captured me. The time jumps moved the story along without missing too much. The characters were all interesting; flawed but real. Jace was a wonderful person who weathered his life well; he was hopeful (once you made it through chapter one) and forgiving. Victor was a troubled soul who needed different help than what he got. However, I didn’t really like Ben. I found him childish and weak; I thought he was lucky to have Jace. I didn’t feel as much of a connection between Jace and Ben as I might have had I read book one (which, I assume, had the missing pieces).
This brings me to whether I actually liked the book… I wasn’t left feeling good; I felt bereft and sad. I need my books to leave feeling better off for having read them, either because they gave me a thrill or pleasure, or because they comforted me emotionally and left me feeling love is real and attainable. This book ripped my heart out, but I didn’t feel that it was put back together. I literally can’t stop crying as I write this, and it’s been three hours since I finished the book. But being able to affect your audience is one of the marks of a good book…
So, while I’ll not be reading any other books in this series, if you like your books to make you feel and don’t need a happily ever after for all your characters, read this book. If suicide, infidelity and main character death are triggers, don’t.
One last thing: even if you don’t read this book, read the Authors Note; it’s important