Scan barcode
imme_van_gorp's review against another edition
5.0
|| 4.5 stars ||
Oh my god, this was absolutely amazing! The first half of this book was so hilarious, I nearly pissed myself laughing more times than I can count. Eventually, though, this developed into something so much deeper: It turned into a beautiful love story between two men with a true connection, who created the sweetest family possible with the cutest five year-old boy I’ve ever seen.
Jude is the main narrator of the story, and oh what a joy it was to be inside this guy’s head! He was the kindest, funniest, most loyal and most likable character imaginable. I adored him so much.
Jude is a model and the book starts with him needing to find a home to stay in after the roof of his flat collapses, which will take a few months to repair. He can stay with his best friend, Dylan, and his boyfriend, Gabe, but doesn’t particularly want to subject his delicate ears to the non-stop love-making these two get up to, so, no matter how much he loves them, he’d rather find some other place to stay.
After a hilarious misunderstanding, he becomes the live-in assistant to the 15 years older moviestar, Asa, who seems to have some negative presumptions about models and their “lazy attitudes and airy brains.” Jude isn’t too bothered by his judgements, but he does find some glee in taking his revenge, which means he pretends to be a dumb airhead whenever he’s around Asa, and manages to mess up all his given tasks in the most hilarious ways possible.
It doesn’t take Asa very long, however, to realise his mistake, and they both end up playing their game of pretending Jude is brain-dead, even though Asa is becoming increasingly more intrigued by the smart, funny, gorgeous man living in his house. Especially when he sees Jude interacting with his son, Billy, whom Jude shares an immediate bond with.
Billy’s relationship with both Asa and Jude was just absolutely heartwarming; they both cared about him so much, but also had a lot of fun with him. They joked around, but also treated him super softly and delicately. It was a beautiful display of perfect parenting and you could see how much that little boy loved them both; it truly warmed my heart.
Seriously, though, I loved this book so much! Jude and Asa had the best banter, and the overall story was just so freaking funny. It has a very dry wit and displays the perfect example of well-executed British humour!
Moreover, it was beautiful to see these two men grow closer and closer. They learned such intimate details about the other, and they truly saw the other for who they were inside. I can’t really explain how gorgeous the slow-burn relationship between them was, because I just cannot sum it up in a few sentences. I loved how full of life these two were when they were together, and how much they both adored every little part about the other’s personality. They had true love between them. Honestly.
'Mixed Messages' series:
1. Rule Breaker - 3.5 stars
2. Deal Maker - 4.5 stars
Short Stories:
1.2. Goodbye Fletcher - 3.0 stars
1.3. Jude’s Intervention - 3.0 stars
1.5. Scrambled Eggs and Lemsip - 2.5 stars
1.7. The Valentine Do-Over - 3.5 stars
2.4. Babysitting Billy - 4.0 stars
2.5. Green Eyed Monsters - 4.0 stars
2.6. Jude’s Christmas - 3.5 stars
3.2. Marrying Jude - 3.5 stars
Oh my god, this was absolutely amazing! The first half of this book was so hilarious, I nearly pissed myself laughing more times than I can count. Eventually, though, this developed into something so much deeper: It turned into a beautiful love story between two men with a true connection, who created the sweetest family possible with the cutest five year-old boy I’ve ever seen.
Jude is the main narrator of the story, and oh what a joy it was to be inside this guy’s head! He was the kindest, funniest, most loyal and most likable character imaginable. I adored him so much.
Jude is a model and the book starts with him needing to find a home to stay in after the roof of his flat collapses, which will take a few months to repair. He can stay with his best friend, Dylan, and his boyfriend, Gabe, but doesn’t particularly want to subject his delicate ears to the non-stop love-making these two get up to, so, no matter how much he loves them, he’d rather find some other place to stay.
After a hilarious misunderstanding, he becomes the live-in assistant to the 15 years older moviestar, Asa, who seems to have some negative presumptions about models and their “lazy attitudes and airy brains.” Jude isn’t too bothered by his judgements, but he does find some glee in taking his revenge, which means he pretends to be a dumb airhead whenever he’s around Asa, and manages to mess up all his given tasks in the most hilarious ways possible.
It doesn’t take Asa very long, however, to realise his mistake, and they both end up playing their game of pretending Jude is brain-dead, even though Asa is becoming increasingly more intrigued by the smart, funny, gorgeous man living in his house. Especially when he sees Jude interacting with his son, Billy, whom Jude shares an immediate bond with.
Billy’s relationship with both Asa and Jude was just absolutely heartwarming; they both cared about him so much, but also had a lot of fun with him. They joked around, but also treated him super softly and delicately. It was a beautiful display of perfect parenting and you could see how much that little boy loved them both; it truly warmed my heart.
Seriously, though, I loved this book so much! Jude and Asa had the best banter, and the overall story was just so freaking funny. It has a very dry wit and displays the perfect example of well-executed British humour!
Moreover, it was beautiful to see these two men grow closer and closer. They learned such intimate details about the other, and they truly saw the other for who they were inside. I can’t really explain how gorgeous the slow-burn relationship between them was, because I just cannot sum it up in a few sentences. I loved how full of life these two were when they were together, and how much they both adored every little part about the other’s personality. They had true love between them. Honestly.
'Mixed Messages' series:
1. Rule Breaker - 3.5 stars
2. Deal Maker - 4.5 stars
Short Stories:
1.2. Goodbye Fletcher - 3.0 stars
1.3. Jude’s Intervention - 3.0 stars
1.5. Scrambled Eggs and Lemsip - 2.5 stars
1.7. The Valentine Do-Over - 3.5 stars
2.4. Babysitting Billy - 4.0 stars
2.5. Green Eyed Monsters - 4.0 stars
2.6. Jude’s Christmas - 3.5 stars
3.2. Marrying Jude - 3.5 stars
theoguinto's review against another edition
4.0
Very very cute story. Billy was definitely the highlight since he was sooo incredibly adorable.
This certainly went in a very different direction that I was expecting. Jude from the first book didn't seem to have very many reservations about his modeling, but here he's characterized as not being a fan of it and instead wanting to be a teacher at a rural neighborhood. That's fine, but it seems to be a little out of character especially for the guy who dragged Dylan out to go clubbing in the first book (of which there's no mention of any sort of antics here)
I also find the premise a little hard to believe. Why was he so ready to become a stranger's personal assistant only to do a terrible (yet incredibly funny) job at it? If he was doing the assistant thing in exchange for the room, then shouldn't he have tried his best to not get kicked out?
Similarly with Asa, why didn't he fire Jude when he'd spent so long being incompetent? The book implies it's because he knew he was faking it (and that he found the situation to be humorous) but that doesn't mean he didn't suck as a personal assistant.
Also, Asa felt like a mary sue here. There was some initial talk about him being difficult to work with, hence why he needed a new personal assistant, but none of that was really shown. Instead he's characterized to be this warm reasonable father. He doesn't really have any personal flaws that can be spoken of.
Jude and Asa also don't really get very many alone scenes prior to them kissing at Jude's birthday. Most of their scenes together involve Billy or were generally very short.
I also felt like this was incredibly lacking in steamy spiciness with regards to the sex scenes (which were few and far between, if not just timelapsed away). I mean, Asa said he liked having a toys in him, I really wish that was explored. Especially coming off of Dylan and Gabe's wild sex life (of which is hilariously noted in this book multiple times by Jude, Henry, and even Dylan and Gabe themselves)
Weirdly, after I read the first book, I thought Jude would be paired off with Henry. I suppose that may have been to obvious though, Dylan and Gabe's respective best friends being a couple.
I will say that I greatly enjoyed the scene where Jude and Phillip were catty at each other. Thought I also feel like Asa's conflict with regards to Phillip feel wasted as he was built up to be this major point of sadness for Asa, only for it to disappear when he gets pushed into a pool and we never really hear from him again. Could've been a stronger source of conflict imo.
In general, I liked this book. Ended up being more fluffy than I expected, took Jude's character in a wildly different direction, and wasn't as sexy as the previous entry, but it was very cute and well written.
This certainly went in a very different direction that I was expecting. Jude from the first book didn't seem to have very many reservations about his modeling, but here he's characterized as not being a fan of it and instead wanting to be a teacher at a rural neighborhood. That's fine, but it seems to be a little out of character especially for the guy who dragged Dylan out to go clubbing in the first book (of which there's no mention of any sort of antics here)
I also find the premise a little hard to believe. Why was he so ready to become a stranger's personal assistant only to do a terrible (yet incredibly funny) job at it? If he was doing the assistant thing in exchange for the room, then shouldn't he have tried his best to not get kicked out?
Similarly with Asa, why didn't he fire Jude when he'd spent so long being incompetent? The book implies it's because he knew he was faking it (and that he found the situation to be humorous) but that doesn't mean he didn't suck as a personal assistant.
Also, Asa felt like a mary sue here. There was some initial talk about him being difficult to work with, hence why he needed a new personal assistant, but none of that was really shown. Instead he's characterized to be this warm reasonable father. He doesn't really have any personal flaws that can be spoken of.
Jude and Asa also don't really get very many alone scenes prior to them kissing at Jude's birthday. Most of their scenes together involve Billy or were generally very short.
I also felt like this was incredibly lacking in steamy spiciness with regards to the sex scenes (which were few and far between, if not just timelapsed away). I mean, Asa said he liked having a toys in him, I really wish that was explored. Especially coming off of Dylan and Gabe's wild sex life (of which is hilariously noted in this book multiple times by Jude, Henry, and even Dylan and Gabe themselves)
Weirdly, after I read the first book, I thought Jude would be paired off with Henry. I suppose that may have been to obvious though, Dylan and Gabe's respective best friends being a couple.
I will say that I greatly enjoyed the scene where Jude and Phillip were catty at each other. Thought I also feel like Asa's conflict with regards to Phillip feel wasted as he was built up to be this major point of sadness for Asa, only for it to disappear when he gets pushed into a pool and we never really hear from him again. Could've been a stronger source of conflict imo.
In general, I liked this book. Ended up being more fluffy than I expected, took Jude's character in a wildly different direction, and wasn't as sexy as the previous entry, but it was very cute and well written.
els17's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
stephlb15's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
tinkcourtney's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, this was a TREASURE. I giggled like mad throughout most of it. Despite the main characters being a model and a movie star, they were written with amazing depth, showing vulnerability and warmth and humor, and their interactions were both hilarious and sexy.
The side characters were wonderful, from the dour Amos to the exuberant Billy. I’m really hoping we get a story featuring Henry soon!
The side characters were wonderful, from the dour Amos to the exuberant Billy. I’m really hoping we get a story featuring Henry soon!
ankysbookbubble's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness, Lily Mortan has definitely become a favourite of mine. She creates such beautiful characters and storylines. I love how complicated her characters are and yet how simply beautiful their stories are.
Asa was such a beautiful character and so were Billy and Jude. Their story had equal amounts of wit, snark and love in it and I absolutely loved reading it.
Asa was such a beautiful character and so were Billy and Jude. Their story had equal amounts of wit, snark and love in it and I absolutely loved reading it.
dfdateme's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.25
chapterswithcharlotte's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t think it could be possible but I preferred this to the first book. I love interconnected stand alone because I already loved Jude from the first book and loved diving into his story. Seeing Asa enter how world was a delight and their dynamic was 🔥. Billy also absolutely melted my heart
jules_reads_again's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
bookpup's review against another edition
4.0
*3.5
I had a fun time. It was a quick read so it really helped me out of what felt like a reading slump. Also Jude is so petty and I'm here for it.
I had a fun time. It was a quick read so it really helped me out of what felt like a reading slump. Also Jude is so petty and I'm here for it.