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friends2lovers's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
4.0
After finishing Wrath by Ellis James, I was in the mood for more super-cuddly MCs and came across Whit while searching for recommendations. This definitely scratches the cuddle-itch! Whit takes care of Caleb when he comes down with an illness that leaves him bed-ridden with a fever for 3 days. While sick, Caleb becomes very clingy and basically demands that Whit cuddle with him non-stop. But, the cuddles don't end after Caleb gets better and Caleb finds it harder and harder to deny his growing attraction to Whit.
Hands are on my scalp, rubbing, gently pulling at my hair. On my back, my face. I lean into it. Purr like a fucking cat because I’m an animal now, apparently. But it feels so good, so right, that I just go with it. When I finally wake from my mini-coma, Whit is asleep beneath me. I’m wrapped around him like a koala on a tree. I don’t even want to tell him I’m awake because he feels so nice underneath me.
Whit is a debut novel and it kind of shows. The writing is flawed and the plotting is a bit messy. This is a very trope-y story, which I think is a trap that a lot of new romance authors fall into. They have these ideas bouncing around in their head and end up cramming them all into one book, which results in underdeveloped plot threads and characters.
I think the weakest part of Whit is the titular character. Because Whit is keeping secrets and has a traumatic past that the author doesn't want to reveal until later, we don't get much of his POV. What little we know of him comes mostly from Caleb's perspective, and Rose isn't an adept enough writer to create a well-rounded character in such an indirect way. So, Whit remains a closed-off, distant character throughout. Plus, it's really easy to guess what Whit's been hiding, so when all is revealed it's pretty anti-climactic.
Also, this has a couple of my M/M romance pet peeves: (1) too much emphasis on top/bottom roles; and (2) conflating the enjoyment of anal sex with being gay.
All that being said, I thought this was pretty great, especially for a debut novel. I was able to suspend my disbelief and overlook the weaknesses. I laughed out loud quite a few times. I found Caleb to be an endearing, loveable character. The physical affection between them was really sweet. Overall, an amusing, enjoyable read that I devoured in less than 24 hours.
Endnotes: M/M Contemporary Romance, college, roommates, opposites attract, gay for you, class difference, caretaking, secrets, traumatic past, meddlesome family, grumpy x sunshine, fake dating (sort of), cuddle sluts, 1st-person dual POV (mostly Caleb), present-tense, short novel (75k words), Kindle Unlimited
Heat Index: 5/5 I bookmarked a total of 13 sex scenes. All scenes are explicit, but many are brief, like 1 page or less. The first sex scene is at 25%. Sex acts include HJs, BJs, anal fingering, and anal sex. There's also a bit of spanking in 1-2 scenes. And 1 scene with edging.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Cancer, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt
emilia777's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? Yes
4.25
i was not prepared to love this as much as i did, THE ANGST, this book made me want to scream, cry and throw up.
whit and caleb were vv hot and i just love them together
whit and caleb were vv hot and i just love them together
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Self harm
Minor: Cancer, Suicide attempt, and Physical abuse
sabinehunter's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
booksbutmakeitgay's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Stalking
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