Reviews

Matty and Rob are settled into New York, living their lives, happy, or so it seems. But Matty's inner demons are rearing their ugly heads and Rob is unhappy living in the city. Something has to give before one of them completely loses it.

A lot of emotional and deep issues are covered in this book. The BDSM is great and I love how they make mistakes, nothing is perfect. Matty and Rob are scorching hot and, yet, so sad at times. They really make you feel for them. I absolutely loved the ending. So perfect!

fuzzywilson's review

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

ceruleanpages's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.75

friends2lovers's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

frogy927's review against another edition

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4.0

I suspect this is a book that's going to get better on rereads. It was hard the first time through. You're only reading this if you love Matty and Rob from the first one, and it's really hard to watch the characters you love struggle like they do here. The conflict is very different from the first one where the problem was external; Matty was leaving because of figure skating. In this one, all of the issues were internal. Matty and Rob were falling apart individually and as a couple. I was thinking about trying to power through the whole thing Tuesday night and I couldn't. Matty at the beginning is especially painful (also, if you have issues with food, this is probably not the book for you). Now that I know the happy ending, I think going back and re-reading through the beginning half will be more enjoyable.

I liked all the secondary characters, especially Elliot, who came across as a bit of a ditz on the other end of the phone in the first one. I would have liked more of them, more Bill, more Anja, more Ben. In writing this, I'm realizing just how isolated Matty and Rob were (compared to how present their friends and community were in the first book).

The happy ending was great. After a shitty week, the last 25% or so was a delightful treat tonight.

And lastly, because I can't take any slights against my neighborhood lying down, my thoughts on Matty and Rob living in Park Slope:

1) Park Slope is the best neighborhood and no one could ever hate living here.
2) Park Slope is the most expensive neighborhood and if Matty and Rob were having money trouble, the first thing they should have done was move somewhere else.
3) Why did they decide to live in Park Slope in the first place? Rob was working in Queens. The G train is the worst. Did he drive to work every day? That is unbelievably stupid. The best part about living in NY is not needing/having a car. Also, not having a car would have saved them money. Why don't they live in Queens, where it would be cheaper and much easier for Rob to get to work every day.
4) How did Matty get to Chelsea Piers every day? The three subway lines they live by (F, G, R) are no help there. Why don't they live in Chelsea? At least one of them should live near where they work. And it wouldn't be any more expensive to live in Chelsea.
5) And, I can't imagine that Matty's dream NYC is Park Slope, with it's stroller brigade reputation. If it's not cheaper or more convenient, why aren't they in, like, the East Village or something?

And those are some pretty basic failures of logic on the part of the characters that makes them both totally unsuitable for NYC living (in addition to everything else about their personalities).

karlijnmerle's review

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4.0

This is really an amazing sequel to Training Season. The ending of the first book was beautiful but it deserved a sequel. And gosh, Leta Blake nailed this so much. Damn, beautiful!

How all will come together in this book is so beautifully done. All the loose ends come together. Their pasts, their futures, their problems, their families and of course their love.

“Good.” Matty took a deep breath. “See the North Star?” Rob squeezed his hand. “No.” “Well, it’s up there. And you told me once to always remember.” Rob swallowed hard and took hold of Matty’s chin, bringing his gaze from the sky to meet Rob’s own. “I remember, Matty.” “Well, good. Don’t forget.”

kiki124's review

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3.0

Oy. I didn’t read the whole thing. I just couldn’t get thru Matty’s downward spiral (I hate bad financial decisions—too close to home) and its aftermath. That cock cage section was more physical and emotional pain than I was comfortable with.

But what I read, I loved—I skipped/skimmed the middle and thank god Rob finally asked for and got what he needed.

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