A review by ggbookrecclub
In Real Time by S. Manship

lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

I love the Cadence Cougars series so much. No Trick Plays was one of my favorite reads last year. It feels like I’ve been waiting for In Real Time for ages, but I can tell you, it was well worth the wait. S. Manship delivers the goods with this MM workplace romance story between an injured first baseman and his athletic trainer. What I love about this series is that it feels like a real friend group. These people truly care about one another even if they couldn’t be more different. We’ve got some serious found family vibes amongst the Cadence Cougars and their significant others. 

Grady and Elliot are just so good together. As a firm supporter. I particularly appreciated their comradery when it came to pineapple on pizza. I believe there just isn’t enough pineapple on pizza representation out there in the world, and particularly not in the romance book community. Thank you S. Manship, I feel seen. But in all seriousness, this book was so incredibly heartfelt. I was grateful that neither character had to navigate “coming out,” as they were already a fully formed individual with an accepting and supportive community. Their biggest hurdle was saying their feelings aloud to one another. Everyone could see their pull. It was as if two magnets were drawing them together. 

The best part of this book is the interior monologue of each of these characters. Both Elliot and Grady do a lot of second thinking. To the point where Grady can identify the faces and words that Elliot uses when he’s processing. It was cute to see these grown men get flustered by a crush. And don’t you fret, the spice was spicing. The voice note Elliot sent? I think I’m melting just thinking about it. When someone asks for a MM romance book, this will be the first suggestion on the list. The characters are relatable and flawed. The friend group and advice is equally terrible and fantastic. I love watching a group of men try to aid their friend in navigating the launch of a relationship. You just want to shake them and be like, “just tell him already!” I absolutely loved this book and the entire Cadence Cougars series. It was well worth the wait.