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jg93's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Ehh, unfortunately this did not live up to the hype for me. This was like 90% smut without any real sense that the characters had romantic chemistry, and no plot.
Despite having a long history together, once the MC's started hooking up, (around the 20% mark) it honestly felt like they were just doing it out of boredom, and the romance never progressed from there.
There were occasional moments of the fun banter I love in the Off-Campus series, and I enjoyed the first part of this for the most part. However for me, the lack of romantic chemistry/development, along with a bunch of random casual misogyny (from both MC's) and biphobia (from Wes) -both of which went unchallenged- really spoiled the reading experience for me here.
Despite having a long history together, once the MC's started hooking up, (around the 20% mark) it honestly felt like they were just doing it out of boredom, and the romance never progressed from there.
There were occasional moments of the fun banter I love in the Off-Campus series, and I enjoyed the first part of this for the most part. However for me, the lack of romantic chemistry/development, along with a bunch of random casual misogyny (from both MC's) and biphobia (from Wes) -both of which went unchallenged- really spoiled the reading experience for me here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexism
edallas's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
moafixzen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
chippity_books's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I would have loved a bit less steamy scenes and dwelve even more in their relationship. But I guess it is set out to be a steamy gay romance book. ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
abookwormspov's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
kreadsromance's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book felt like reading a forum that was trying to convince me that two characters that are obviously a gay couple, aren't a gay couple. Wes and Jamie spend a lot of time in this novel ignoring the elephant in the room. Both of them clearly love each other very much, even before their relationship developed into mutual sexual/romantic attraction. Wes carries around a sense of guilt about pressuring his friend into engaging in sexual activity with him when he's always identified as straight. It made me wonder if this is something that members of the queer community feel more often than I thought. I can relate somewhat to the sense of responsibility of not purposefully misleading someone. However, I also think that a lot of obstacles in Jamie and Wes's relationship could have been resolved by communicating more. Although, the miscommunication did not feel forced or misconstrued. It felt like it was something that could reasonably occur in real life. At no point did I think that either of them had concerns that weren't valid.
There is a reasonably thorough exploration within the plot of homophobia and the fears surrounding that in both Jamie and Wes's lives. There is a lot of pressure on them as male professional athletes to be taken seriously and be perceived as masculine. Additionally, they are responsible for child athletes and unfortunately the ignorance of homophobia does not differentiate between parents and everyone else.
Overall, I enjoyed watching Jamie and Wes reconnect with each other. Outside of respecting each other as friends, they also respect each other as peers and that definitely bleeds into their eventual romantic relationship. Their love for each other helps them find ways to accommodate each other back into their lives. This novel can be read as a standalone, but I plan on continuing to read the sequel. Sarina Bowen is definitely a go to romance author for me now. This is the fourth book I've read by her and her stories never disappoint.
There is a reasonably thorough exploration within the plot of homophobia and the fears surrounding that in both Jamie and Wes's lives. There is a lot of pressure on them as male professional athletes to be taken seriously and be perceived as masculine. Additionally, they are responsible for child athletes and unfortunately the ignorance of homophobia does not differentiate between parents and everyone else.
Overall, I enjoyed watching Jamie and Wes reconnect with each other. Outside of respecting each other as friends, they also respect each other as peers and that definitely bleeds into their eventual romantic relationship. Their love for each other helps them find ways to accommodate each other back into their lives. This novel can be read as a standalone, but I plan on continuing to read the sequel. Sarina Bowen is definitely a go to romance author for me now. This is the fourth book I've read by her and her stories never disappoint.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Outing
dearbookboyfriend's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
wardenred's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
3.0
I’m comfortable with him. I have fun with him. I’m not trying to impress anyone. It’s…easy. Like splashing in the lake. But with orgasms.
This was firmly an okay book for me! I had a few fun evenings with hit, laughed at plenty of lines, got a big helping of The Feels, and overall enjoyed the characters, the banter, and the relationship. I liked how all the misunderstandings between Wes and Jamie were firmly grounded into the experiences that shaped each of their personalities and it was very clear why they couldn't immediately see things each other's way. At the same time, at some point I got a little tired of how much effort it kept costing them to actually talk things out instead of sweeping them under the rug and hoping for whatever. Especially because it was so clear that whenever they did let each other in, they worked wonderfully together.
I also liked how the main story intersected with the characters' memories of their shared teenage year—not just the event that pushed them apart for a long while, but also all the little things that brought them together in the first place. The side plots with the teenagers they were coaching and all the little moments around the camp were nice additions: entertaining and adding to the central storyline instead of distracting from it. I liked how the sex scenes were written—fun and hot and ultimately pushing the character arcs along instead of just existing for the hotness. Oh, and one more thin: I really liked Holly, even though she was supposed to be a bit of a threat to the MCs' relationship. :D
I appreciated how the story made a point of how homophobia sucks and how people can and should do better, even/especially in the competitive masculine sports environments, though I did feel it got a bit preachy on at least one occasion. At the same time, there was some oddness about how Wes treated Jamie's bi awakening that made me uncomfortable, and sometimes I felt the vibe there bordered on biphobic. "OMG, I hoped he might be bi, but I saw him about to enthusiastically have sex with a girl!" — well, how does that prove he's not bi? Having romantic and sexual relationships with the opposite gender is PART of the bi experience, not a contradiction! There was also a lot of small bits casual misogyny. Like, did you know there are two approaches to confusing mornings after: the chick way, where you actually talk things out with words, and the dude way, where you stew in your own feelings and act like nothing happened and maybe actually hurt yourself and the other person by all the extra confusion? And "the chick way" is somehow supposed to be worse. Ugh. Toxic masculinity makes so little sense when you look at it closely!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Misogyny
monmon517's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia