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A review by teresab78
Something Like Autumn by Jay Bell
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