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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
The first time that I heard the term “Butter Face” wasn’t about everything being great but my face. No, the first time it was said to me was when someone saw me from the neck down and asked why I hadn’t told them I was a Butter Face. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but he said that everything was too fat to be hot but my face. Apparently, fat people are unattractive and that’s something that, while logically knowing that isn’t true, has influenced every feeling I’ve ever had about myself. It even includes my face when I’m busy hating on myself. Should I stop? Probably. Was he wrong? No. I AM fat. I’ve always been fat. Even when I was “thinner” I was still considered to be obese. I’m short, fat and sassy as hell. All of this personal stuff is meant as a lead-up to my review of Romance Languages by A.J. Truman.
Julian is a month away from his 35th birthday (and can I add how awesome it was to read about a fellow non-skinny person who is pretty dang close to my age?) and is still a virgin. He considers himself to be a “chubby language nerd” and doesn’t think he’s worthy of being loved or enjoyed as he is. He, too, knows that this isn’t logical, but when dating profiles of other guys insist upon “No Fatties” and he’s insulted by dates – to his face, because he didn’t disclose his “fatty-ness”, it makes it hard to be logical about his self-worth.
Enter his friend, baseball coach and fellow language teacher, Seamus. Seamus is beautiful, built and straight. When Seamus learns that Julian has a list of things he’d like to try as well as having his metaphorical cherry popped before his 35th birthday, he starts to feel things that he’s never experienced before. He volunteers to help Julian work through his list, without knowing that Julian has had a crush on him since the first time he’d ever laid eyes on him.
While helping Julian round the bases, so to speak, Seamus begins to realize that his growing feelings for Julian have moved from friendship and into love and boyfriend territory. Can Seamus convince Julian that he truly wants to be with him and that how he looks is part of what’s got this newfound desire pumping through his blood like a shutout?
With minimal angst, a mother who doesn’t realize how much her words have hurt her son, lots of spice, some tequila overindulgence, rooftop visits with the other South Rock guys and an honest development of friends-to-lovers emotions, A.J. truly knocked this story out of the park. He helped me feel seen, understood and worthy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and, as always, my review is honest and unpaid.
[b:Romance Languages|63289810|Romance Languages (South Rock High #3)|A.J. Truman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680700273l/63289810._SY75_.jpg|99208592]
[a:A.J. Truman|8530035|A.J. Truman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480865777p2/8530035.jpg]
Julian is a month away from his 35th birthday (and can I add how awesome it was to read about a fellow non-skinny person who is pretty dang close to my age?) and is still a virgin. He considers himself to be a “chubby language nerd” and doesn’t think he’s worthy of being loved or enjoyed as he is. He, too, knows that this isn’t logical, but when dating profiles of other guys insist upon “No Fatties” and he’s insulted by dates – to his face, because he didn’t disclose his “fatty-ness”, it makes it hard to be logical about his self-worth.
Enter his friend, baseball coach and fellow language teacher, Seamus. Seamus is beautiful, built and straight. When Seamus learns that Julian has a list of things he’d like to try as well as having his metaphorical cherry popped before his 35th birthday, he starts to feel things that he’s never experienced before. He volunteers to help Julian work through his list, without knowing that Julian has had a crush on him since the first time he’d ever laid eyes on him.
While helping Julian round the bases, so to speak, Seamus begins to realize that his growing feelings for Julian have moved from friendship and into love and boyfriend territory. Can Seamus convince Julian that he truly wants to be with him and that how he looks is part of what’s got this newfound desire pumping through his blood like a shutout?
With minimal angst, a mother who doesn’t realize how much her words have hurt her son, lots of spice, some tequila overindulgence, rooftop visits with the other South Rock guys and an honest development of friends-to-lovers emotions, A.J. truly knocked this story out of the park. He helped me feel seen, understood and worthy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and, as always, my review is honest and unpaid.
[b:Romance Languages|63289810|Romance Languages (South Rock High #3)|A.J. Truman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680700273l/63289810._SY75_.jpg|99208592]
[a:A.J. Truman|8530035|A.J. Truman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480865777p2/8530035.jpg]
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Based on the other reviews I’ve seen for this book, I have to assume that this is most definitely a case of it just not being the right book at the right time.
I applaud how the idea of being plus-size in a judgemental world was handled – realistic yet sensitive, and not going for the ‘easy’ answer of having the protagonist lose weight. So where did this book lose me?
Seamus. This completely and utterly straight man not only volunteers to ‘help’ his gay best friend work his way around the bases but leads the way and knows pretty much exactly what he’s doing with nary a qualm about where he sits on the Kinsey scale.
Add to that the surface level Seamus’s addiction was handled (we never saw him attend a single meeting despite this being one of the main facets of his character and who he is) and the fact that, despite his lack of funds, there was only one occasion where money was an issue for him – for example, he buys a new suit for a wedding when only recently he’s been unable to buy a bottle of wine. It sometimes felt like an almost incestuous set of friendships and ‘couples’ from previous stories which were a little offputting, especially as the book states that it can be read as a standalone (which it can if you don’t mind feeling like you’re missing out on a lot of in-jokes) and this book simply didn’t work for me.
However, I would very much say YMMV – the writing style is engaging, the dialogue witty and fun, and the storyline good. As I said, just not the right book for me.
I applaud how the idea of being plus-size in a judgemental world was handled – realistic yet sensitive, and not going for the ‘easy’ answer of having the protagonist lose weight. So where did this book lose me?
Seamus. This completely and utterly straight man not only volunteers to ‘help’ his gay best friend work his way around the bases but leads the way and knows pretty much exactly what he’s doing with nary a qualm about where he sits on the Kinsey scale.
Add to that the surface level Seamus’s addiction was handled (we never saw him attend a single meeting despite this being one of the main facets of his character and who he is) and the fact that, despite his lack of funds, there was only one occasion where money was an issue for him – for example, he buys a new suit for a wedding when only recently he’s been unable to buy a bottle of wine. It sometimes felt like an almost incestuous set of friendships and ‘couples’ from previous stories which were a little offputting, especially as the book states that it can be read as a standalone (which it can if you don’t mind feeling like you’re missing out on a lot of in-jokes) and this book simply didn’t work for me.
However, I would very much say YMMV – the writing style is engaging, the dialogue witty and fun, and the storyline good. As I said, just not the right book for me.
¡Me encantó!
As a Spanish teacher, I particularly found this book to be a riot. The references to TeacherTok and "Cyllabus" were so relatable. Also, being "schooled" by your students and finding them entertaining. All real.
But even if that weren't a part of this book, I am just so in love with both of the main characters. I just really liked them both and the story was well written. The weight struggles, bicuriosity, difficulty with spitting out thought, and FUN sex was just awesome. I did not read this series in order so I am heading back to read the first one!
As a Spanish teacher, I particularly found this book to be a riot. The references to TeacherTok and "Cyllabus" were so relatable. Also, being "schooled" by your students and finding them entertaining. All real.
But even if that weren't a part of this book, I am just so in love with both of the main characters. I just really liked them both and the story was well written. The weight struggles, bicuriosity, difficulty with spitting out thought, and FUN sex was just awesome. I did not read this series in order so I am heading back to read the first one!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
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:
Complicated
Rating: 3.5 stars
I really liked Julian as a side character in the earlier books in the series, so I was excited to finally read his book! Trigger warning for ALLLLL of the fatphobia, especially from Julian's (horrible) mom and lots of internalized fatphobia as well. If that's a trigger for you, probably skip this one. TW for addiction/gambling addiction.
Julian and Seamus are across-the-hall neighbors at their school; Julian teaches French and Seamus teaches Spanish. When it comes out that Julian is a virgin and hoping to lose his virginity by his 36th birthday (which is coming up quickly!), Seamus offers to help him "round the bases" and punch his V-card. There are a LOT of review that seem to have a lot of beef with this being a totally unrealistic response from a straight man - I'd like to point out that Seamus justifies his actions as not only wanting to help his friend, but that he's bi-curious. He admits SEVERAL TIMES he is bi-curious, so the people saying things like "he doesn't realize he's not straight until the end" are just... off base. More than his sexuality, Seamus' hesitance to get into a relationship stems from shame and self-worth issues around his gambling addiction and debt. Add in Julias' own shame around his weight and body, and there's such an interesting dynamic between these two. They can each see the other's faults and flaws and love them and how it makes the other a real person; but at the same time they view their own flaws as unlovable. I just wanna hug them both so big!
This is the third book in the South Rock High series, and can be read as a standalone. The couples from the previous books (who are Julian's friends and fellow teachers) do show up heavily as side characters in this one with some minor spoilers for the earlier books.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
I really liked Julian as a side character in the earlier books in the series, so I was excited to finally read his book! Trigger warning for ALLLLL of the fatphobia, especially from Julian's (horrible) mom and lots of internalized fatphobia as well. If that's a trigger for you, probably skip this one. TW for addiction/gambling addiction.
Julian and Seamus are across-the-hall neighbors at their school; Julian teaches French and Seamus teaches Spanish. When it comes out that Julian is a virgin and hoping to lose his virginity by his 36th birthday (which is coming up quickly!), Seamus offers to help him "round the bases" and punch his V-card. There are a LOT of review that seem to have a lot of beef with this being a totally unrealistic response from a straight man - I'd like to point out that Seamus justifies his actions as not only wanting to help his friend, but that he's bi-curious. He admits SEVERAL TIMES he is bi-curious, so the people saying things like "he doesn't realize he's not straight until the end" are just... off base. More than his sexuality, Seamus' hesitance to get into a relationship stems from shame and self-worth issues around his gambling addiction and debt. Add in Julias' own shame around his weight and body, and there's such an interesting dynamic between these two. They can each see the other's faults and flaws and love them and how it makes the other a real person; but at the same time they view their own flaws as unlovable. I just wanna hug them both so big!
This is the third book in the South Rock High series, and can be read as a standalone. The couples from the previous books (who are Julian's friends and fellow teachers) do show up heavily as side characters in this one with some minor spoilers for the earlier books.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
lighthearted
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My fave of the series so far! I loved Seamus and his care for Julian. And it’s great to see “bigger” characters portrayed as sexy, lovable and desirable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Fatphobia
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
super easy read. the main character learns to love his body. idk it felt. . . weird. the way Seamus (male interest) talked about/praised Julian’s body, it felt like he was trying to convince himself. the author said something that felt yucky (he said it in the previous book, too). it was completely unnecessary, so idk why it was even thought of. seamus is the baseball coach, and i think it was julian who said something like the way seamus smacked his ass wasn’t like he would his players or some weird shit like that—completely unnecessary i didn’t really like the writing, but i kept going because one thing the author did well was make you curious about the friend group.