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friends2lovers's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-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
3.0
After reading and being pleasantly surprised by The Fating, I decided to check out Roman’s other books and thought I’d start with her debut, The Shutout. Unfortunately, I found this to be overlong with too much inner monologue that made the pacing drag. In a Dear Reader note at the end Roman says, “My early readers threatened violence when I suggested shortening it, so I decided to leave it long rather than cutting anything or splitting it into two books.” I think Roman should have followed her initial instinct to shorten it. I was also disappointed this didn’t tickle my funny bone like The Fating did, and I wasn’t expecting all the angst in the first half or the melodrama in the second half. While I generally like angst, I don’t care for excessive, drawn out sentimentality. At times, I was reminded of Tal Bauer whose particular style is not my cup of tea.
I also want to add that the ‘bisexual/demisexual awakening’ note in the blurb (on Amazon) is misleading. The possibility of Max identifying as bi is only mentioned once—In a one-sided conversation with his dead wife Max says, “What if…what if I was bi and you didn’t know it?”—and is never brought up again. Later, Max tells Jack, “I’m attracted to you. Not other men. Not any women. Only you. Whatever you call that, that’s what I am.” I would call that ‘gay for you’, which is a trope I personally don’t have any issues with, but I know many other readers do. So it’s odd that Roman would mislabel the book in that way because those readers will be disappointed if they go in expecting a bi-awakening and get bi-erasure instead. Also, demisexuality is not mentioned in the book at all, so whether there is a demisexual awakening is entirely open to reader interpretation.
Despite all my criticisms, I did enjoy reading this for the most part and I would pick up another of Roman’s books in the future.
MM contemporary romance, friends to lovers, neighbors, gay for you, pining, secret relationship. Max is a lawyer, widower, and single dad to his 9-year-old daughter. Jack is a closeted gay MLB pitcher. Both men are in their 30s. Set around Christmas (but is not a ‘holiday romance’) during the off-season (so there’s very little baseball content). Standalone, 1st person dual POV, 135k words, Kindle Unlimited.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Outing
Moderate: Homophobia, Biphobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Grief and Death
tankytoon's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a mixed bag of emotions for me, I'm not sure whether I like it or don't so I settled for somewhere in the middle.
The things I liked:
- the fact that Jack was best friends with Max and his wife, and did not have subconscious desires from the start
- the way Jack treats Max's daughter as if it was his own
- the time and compassion Jack takes to be there for Max and Emma when Lainey died
- the way Jack held back because he didn't want to overstep boundaries
And of course, with this, THE PINING!!! It was really palpable in this book
- the banter between Max and Jack like being old married couple
- Emma!
The things I didn't like:
- Max's reaction to the fact that his best friend is gay going from 0 to 180. Progression from straight to gay seem sudden.
- Max mishandling Jay's confession
- Some of the narrative seem teenage-y and clichéd
- Some of the dialogue, especially during sex scenes are cringey
- A bit repetitive towards the second half
- The way they were outed and no real resolution
- and lastly, the epilogue was unnecessary especially the part where they talked about dying when they're 50 and at their daughter's wedding spoiled the good mood for me
There are other things I could list but it would spoil the story, there are some parts that are hopeful, like the way the team and everyone who mattered came together after their public outing, but I have to keep in mind that this only happens in the realm of fiction and it is still a far cry from happening in reality.
The things I liked:
- the fact that Jack was best friends with Max and his wife, and did not have subconscious desires from the start
- the way Jack treats Max's daughter as if it was his own
- the time and compassion Jack takes to be there for Max and Emma when Lainey died
- the way Jack held back because he didn't want to overstep boundaries
And of course, with this, THE PINING!!! It was really palpable in this book
- the banter between Max and Jack like being old married couple
- Emma!
The things I didn't like:
- Max's reaction to the fact that his best friend is gay going from 0 to 180. Progression from straight to gay seem sudden.
- Max mishandling Jay's confession
- Some of the narrative seem teenage-y and clichéd
- Some of the dialogue, especially during sex scenes are cringey
- A bit repetitive towards the second half
- The way they were outed and no real resolution
- and lastly, the epilogue was unnecessary
There are other things I could list but it would spoil the story, there are some parts that are hopeful,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Outing
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