A review by nitzanschwarz
Power Plays & Straight A's by Eden Finley, Saxon James

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

86 | B | 4.0 ★  | Quite Good

This was hella cute. A couple of days ago, I went in search of recommendations for a "best friend's brother" / "brother's best friend" type of MM romance, and this one made the rounds both on Reddit and GR, so I decided to pick it up. And it was so much fun!

I absolutely loved both Foster and Zach.

Zach is just adorably awkward. I love that he didn't let his fears or limitations stop him from doing anything. And I love it when he rambles. Zach's rambling saved the both of them from a lot of unnecessary drama. My dude just starts talking when he's stressed, and so he accidentally lets really important things slip. Not that he necessarily knows those are important things. God, he is so cute. I'm not surprised Foster keeps getting cute aggression around the guy. You know what I would've liked to hear more of, though? About his thesis! Let my nerdy academic characters ramble on about their nerdy academic passions! ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)

Foster was plain awesome. He's a proper jock - and by that, I mean he's a jock through and through but also such a good guy.  His is the good kind of cocky and confident. When we say we like cocky guys, this is what we mean. Foster doesn't need to shit on others to have confidence, and his cockiness isn't mean or cruel to others. If anything, he often uses both to make his man laugh and if that's not love, I don't know what is. 

Also. COMMUNICATION! My god. How beautiful, how stunning. A couple that talks it out and doesn't let things fester between them. Foster is really good with his mouth (in more ways than one), and he uses it to get Zach to vocalize whenever he gets in his head. Whenever Foster might misunderstand, Zach always (awkwardly) explains and gets Foster to become putty in his hands. This is what convinced me these two were in it for the long haul despite being young.

These two are good together. Like, the "makes the other a better person" good together.

That being said, I would've liked to see more outside their relationship—more into Seth and Zach's friendship, Zach and Ray, and Foster's team and their dynamic. Especially since the latter is the focus of this series, it would've been fun to compare and contrast how they are in the eyes of others versus each other's eyes.

I don't usually do this, but this book reminded me of two straight romances I enjoyed: The Avery Shaw Experiment (YA) and Neanderthal Seeks Human (Adult). 

Score: 

Plot - 17/20
Characters - 18/20
Relationships - 18/20
Writing - 15/20
Reading Experience - 18/20
Final score: 86

Tags:

#Brother's Best Friend
#Jock x Nerd
#
No Drama

#MM Romance
#Healthy Communication
#Hockey Players
#College
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