Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
i loved this book so much. this series (?) is amazing and i hope there’s more to come. this one is a bit raunchier than the first so be warned. i loved it.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My good friend Allison suggested that we read this for Pride month. I have never read a gay romance before so this is my first. She told me I could skip the M-M sex scenes but I didn't. I read them and have to admit the grapple-wrestle sex was hard to follow so I my rating reflects that. This might be unfair since as a female I couldn't connect to the things men experience. That said, I find that I really like characters who are working on themselves and understanding how to function in the world and I really liked Oscar. His personality was fun and funny and raw. On the whole though Oscar was a bit intense for me and I was a bit overwhelmed staying with him. Also sometimes the banter between Jack and Oscar had me a little confused as to who was talking. I loved Oscar's friends and the setup of helping Jack move out of his house. As a romance reader, the "great misunderstanding" as a plot device to put speedbumps on the romance make me grumpy but this one felt honest so I kept my crankiness in check. I loved the writing as it was energetic and kept a strong pace.
It's hard to get an accurate portrayal of depression and anxiety while still having a fun/funny story.
This is it.
I really enjoyed the story. I connected with the characters.
I listened to the audiobook and loved the narration.
I DNFed Love Study, but I'm going to go back and give it another chance.
This is it.
I really enjoyed the story. I connected with the characters.
I listened to the audiobook and loved the narration.
I DNFed Love Study, but I'm going to go back and give it another chance.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After loving the love study as much as I did, this was slightly disappointing. Everything I loved in the love project was missing in this book. With the lack of clear consent, bad communication, and breaking boundaries time and time again, this book was terribly uncomfortable to read. Oscar was pretty annoying in the first book as is, but his lack of communication in the second one was even more upsetting. Jack was extremely pushy and overall his behavior towards Oscar just felt like he was coercing him and his comments about finding insecurity a turn on just SCREAMED toxicity. Both of them weren't in the right mental stage for a relationship and it showed.
On a more positive note, I ABSOLUTELY ADORY RONNIE. She's an absolute sweetheart and everyone needs a Ronnie in their life. I loved how the author showed transitioning and the fears of transgender people during early transition in stores.
The book does get points for being diverse and having a mid/plus-sized MC. If you want to read a book filled with representation of POC, LGBTQIA+ then this is a good read but seeing how toxic the entire thing was I definitely will not be re-reading/ recommending it to anyone.
On a more positive note, I ABSOLUTELY ADORY RONNIE. She's an absolute sweetheart and everyone needs a Ronnie in their life. I loved how the author showed transitioning and the fears of transgender people during early transition in stores.
The book does get points for being diverse and having a mid/plus-sized MC. If you want to read a book filled with representation of POC, LGBTQIA+ then this is a good read but seeing how toxic the entire thing was I definitely will not be re-reading/ recommending it to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Transphobia
I don't like Oscar. Plain and simple. I don't like him and I don't think he was a good choice for the first-person narration.
emotional
funny
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:
N/A
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
When I first met this friend group, who call themselves the Motherfuckers, in The Love Study I just knew there would have to be more. At the time, that story was listed as a standalone. I’m so happy the author decided to continue with this group and tell us another tale. But I don’t believe you really need to read the first book in order to enjoy and feel this book.
Just as the description of this book says, Oscar is a grouch. A lot of his grouchiness comes from two things, anxiety and not being good at understanding social cues. He’s quiet, even with his closest friends. That will often come across as grouchy even when it’s not intended to. Although, he really is a bit of a grouch. And Jack, for his part, is pretty grouchy himself. Where he can come across as a bit snobbish, it’s also to do with his inability to always know how he’s expected to act. Jack is very straight forward and matter of fact and doesn’t like when others are not. Which, by the way, is quite helpful to Oscar.
In some ways this story can be looked at as an enemies to lovers tale. Jack and Oscar may be part of the same friend group (Jack is a newer addition to a well-established group of friends), yet due to their personalities they don’t tend to interact with one another all that often. And when they do, it’s generally to snipe at each other. The way their relationship begins is a bit non-traditional but loaded with emotion. Maybe not the emotions you’re expecting, but still overflowing with some kind of feelings.
If you have any issues with anxiety, you will 100% understand Oscar. If you don’t but have people in your life who do, maybe Oscar will help you to empathize with them a bit more. The angst, the self-recrimination, the anger and helplessness. The author captures these moments so honestly and candidly. Of course, all of this boils down to him also having a very low self-esteem. I adore how Jack, in his Jack way, tries to boost Oscar’s self-confidence. Of course, because Jack is often sarcastic and biting, more than half the time Oscar doesn’t take those confidence boosts seriously.
This is definitely a story of two people who need to learn how to talk to one another. With their personalities and pasts, it made sense. I didn’t find myself annoyed with this but instead rooting for them to grasp how much they could have if they’d just tell each other the truth and bare their hearts.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and Carina Press. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
You can find an excerpt from this story over on my blog, All In Good Time.
Just as the description of this book says, Oscar is a grouch. A lot of his grouchiness comes from two things, anxiety and not being good at understanding social cues. He’s quiet, even with his closest friends. That will often come across as grouchy even when it’s not intended to. Although, he really is a bit of a grouch. And Jack, for his part, is pretty grouchy himself. Where he can come across as a bit snobbish, it’s also to do with his inability to always know how he’s expected to act. Jack is very straight forward and matter of fact and doesn’t like when others are not. Which, by the way, is quite helpful to Oscar.
In some ways this story can be looked at as an enemies to lovers tale. Jack and Oscar may be part of the same friend group (Jack is a newer addition to a well-established group of friends), yet due to their personalities they don’t tend to interact with one another all that often. And when they do, it’s generally to snipe at each other. The way their relationship begins is a bit non-traditional but loaded with emotion. Maybe not the emotions you’re expecting, but still overflowing with some kind of feelings.
If you have any issues with anxiety, you will 100% understand Oscar. If you don’t but have people in your life who do, maybe Oscar will help you to empathize with them a bit more. The angst, the self-recrimination, the anger and helplessness. The author captures these moments so honestly and candidly. Of course, all of this boils down to him also having a very low self-esteem. I adore how Jack, in his Jack way, tries to boost Oscar’s self-confidence. Of course, because Jack is often sarcastic and biting, more than half the time Oscar doesn’t take those confidence boosts seriously.
This is definitely a story of two people who need to learn how to talk to one another. With their personalities and pasts, it made sense. I didn’t find myself annoyed with this but instead rooting for them to grasp how much they could have if they’d just tell each other the truth and bare their hearts.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and Carina Press. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
You can find an excerpt from this story over on my blog, All In Good Time.