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gillianw's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars
Wow. Just...wow.
I wasn't sure if Roan Parrish could improve upon the previous two books in this series, but she really outdid herself here. I couldn't love Will and Leo more if I tried. I honestly think that if things went differently between the two of them, if things had been easier and tied up neatly at the end, I would have been disappointed. And I think anyone who reads this and is still upset that they didn't get the typical paint-by-numbers HEA, is completely missing the point. I love that the characters show real growth here, especially Leo who starts off blindly hoping Will will change for him, only to realize that it's not only unrealistic to want that, it's unnecessary. Will gets his 'aha' moment too, when Leo forces him to confront his unrealistic expectations that Leo should be able to intuit all his feelings all the time. I dunno...other people have written better reviews so read them if you want something a little more coherent. Better yet, read this book. Honestly, it's amazing and wonderful and honest and heartbreaking and and and...I could go on. But just read it, okay?
Wow. Just...wow.
I wasn't sure if Roan Parrish could improve upon the previous two books in this series, but she really outdid herself here. I couldn't love Will and Leo more if I tried. I honestly think that if things went differently between the two of them, if things had been easier and tied up neatly at the end, I would have been disappointed. And I think anyone who reads this and is still upset that they didn't get the typical paint-by-numbers HEA, is completely missing the point. I love that the characters show real growth here, especially Leo who starts off blindly hoping Will will change for him, only to realize that it's not only unrealistic to want that, it's unnecessary. Will gets his 'aha' moment too, when Leo forces him to confront his unrealistic expectations that Leo should be able to intuit all his feelings all the time. I dunno...other people have written better reviews so read them if you want something a little more coherent. Better yet, read this book. Honestly, it's amazing and wonderful and honest and heartbreaking and and and...I could go on. But just read it, okay?
evethingiread's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect to this would end up with the 4 star rating. There's so much here that I didn't like, but I think essentially, I connected with Leo and Will so much. I got them. I understood who they were and what they were all about. And in the end, this felt real.
Leo's college experience, Will's prickly nature, all of it, just made so much sense. I loved this book.
Leo's college experience, Will's prickly nature, all of it, just made so much sense. I loved this book.
romitoak's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ntdan's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
mdee's review
3.0
3.25-3.5ish stars
I LOVED the first 2 books in this series. This one? Not so much. I didn't feel as invested in the story as I was in the previous books. I think this was largely due to Will's character. It's not that I hated him, just that I couldn't find myself to really like him. Leo on the otherhand, I absolutely adored him. I felt like he deserved so much more than what Will was offering. Even by the end, it didn't seem as though Will was as invested in their relationship as Leo had been all along.
Nevertheless, I still recommend reading this book if you're a fan of the series. Just know that it's probably not the best of the bunch.
I LOVED the first 2 books in this series. This one? Not so much. I didn't feel as invested in the story as I was in the previous books. I think this was largely due to Will's character. It's not that I hated him, just that I couldn't find myself to really like him. Leo on the otherhand, I absolutely adored him. I felt like he deserved so much more than what Will was offering. Even by the end, it didn't seem as though Will was as invested in their relationship as Leo had been all along.
Nevertheless, I still recommend reading this book if you're a fan of the series. Just know that it's probably not the best of the bunch.
yalomi's review
4.0
Basically, Leo doesn't know how to respect boundaries: From the start Will told him he doesn't want anything that comes with a relationship. Will loves his freedom to do as he pleases with whomever he pleases but Leo never took him seriously. He though that by sticking around long enough Will would change his mind. That, maybe, one day he would wake up and want to be boyfriends, then get married, have children and live happily ever after. He pushed himself into Will's life with a clear warning from Will about how that was gonna be and the got surprised and heartbroken when what Will said would happen happened.
And Will is cruel: He knows exactly how Leo feels about him, he knows that Leo wants a relationship with him, LONG TERM MONOGAMY. He knows this, and then when they start their sexual relationship Will he never puts a clear boundary so that Leo KNOWS EXACTLY what he signed up for. Will just though that Leo would let all of that relationship talk go after all that hugging, kissing, having sex, cuddling and living together. Things he never did with his other hook-ups. WHERE ARE THE "RULES" FOR THE RELATIONSHIP? Which brings me to my other questions: Why did we start this relationship while Leo is living in your house? That is the easiest set-up for the lines to blur. Why are we kissing in public and cuddling every night? When we didn't do that when we were just friends. And then every time Leo brought it up, them being together, he was all like: "Your feelings are your responsibility not mine", true, but he never thought to put a stop to their sexual relationship. Cause Leo was not getting with the 'just for sex' program. But also, why are you giving me the boyfriend treatment when I'm not your boyfriend then expect me to just be okay?!!
Then Leo finds him with another person cause of course he would, they're not exclusive. And Leo leaves him to get himself some well deserved me time to evaluate. Keep in mind Leo is 19 and Will is 26-27(let's not talk about this age gap cause that's a whole other thing that has me mad AF). Anyhoo...that moment of self discovery needed to happen. And he does, he hangs out with his friends more and has a sexual encounter with Russell( who was in the book for three seconds but i rooted for). Then stuff with Will's sister happens and we start talking with Will again. What had me fuming is that Will had the audacity to be pissy with Leo and giving him attitude cause boy slept with another man. Like, wasn't that the ENTIIRE point? So it's okay when Will is the one sleeping around, the second that Leo does it we're gonna act like the world is ending? BFFR. And don't even get me started on that whole thing where Will said, after they decided to officially give dating a try, that he was going to TRY to just sleep with Leo 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 GIVE ME A BREK!!
Neither of them were okay but Will can choke and Leo needed more self respect cause wow! That was sad to see.
TROPES:
-M/M
-Barista/Graphic designer
-Friends to lovers
-Age gap(7 yrs...i think)
-Opposites attract
-FORCED proximity(by way of Leo)
And Will is cruel: He knows exactly how Leo feels about him, he knows that Leo wants a relationship with him, LONG TERM MONOGAMY. He knows this, and then when they start their sexual relationship Will he never puts a clear boundary so that Leo KNOWS EXACTLY what he signed up for. Will just though that Leo would let all of that relationship talk go after all that hugging, kissing, having sex, cuddling and living together. Things he never did with his other hook-ups. WHERE ARE THE "RULES" FOR THE RELATIONSHIP? Which brings me to my other questions: Why did we start this relationship while Leo is living in your house? That is the easiest set-up for the lines to blur. Why are we kissing in public and cuddling every night? When we didn't do that when we were just friends. And then every time Leo brought it up, them being together, he was all like: "Your feelings are your responsibility not mine", true, but he never thought to put a stop to their sexual relationship. Cause Leo was not getting with the 'just for sex' program. But also, why are you giving me the boyfriend treatment when I'm not your boyfriend then expect me to just be okay?!!
Then Leo finds him with another person cause of course he would, they're not exclusive. And Leo leaves him to get himself some well deserved me time to evaluate. Keep in mind Leo is 19 and Will is 26-27(let's not talk about this age gap cause that's a whole other thing that has me mad AF). Anyhoo...that moment of self discovery needed to happen. And he does, he hangs out with his friends more and has a sexual encounter with Russell( who was in the book for three seconds but i rooted for). Then stuff with Will's sister happens and we start talking with Will again. What had me fuming is that Will had the audacity to be pissy with Leo and giving him attitude cause boy slept with another man. Like, wasn't that the ENTIIRE point? So it's okay when Will is the one sleeping around, the second that Leo does it we're gonna act like the world is ending? BFFR. And don't even get me started on that whole thing where Will said, after they decided to officially give dating a try, that he was going to TRY to just sleep with Leo 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 GIVE ME A BREK!!
Neither of them were okay but Will can choke and Leo needed more self respect cause wow! That was sad to see.
TROPES:
-M/M
-Barista/Graphic designer
-Friends to lovers
-Age gap(7 yrs...i think)
-Opposites attract
-FORCED proximity(by way of Leo)
hanlikefawn's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
My least favorite of the series! I felt like the characters weren’t very fleshed out and I found Leo’s dialogue incredibly annoying (“omigod”)
jackiehorne's review
4.0
Parrish sets herself a difficult task here: depict a romance in which one half of the romantic duo is so not into imagining himself in a romantic relationship that he doesn't make much of an appearance in the first third or so of the story. Secondary characters from the first book in Parrish's series take center stage here: Leo, a 19-year-old who is moving from small-town Michigan and starting his freshman year at NYU, and Will, an older (not sure how much older) NYC graphic designer. Will and Leo met back in Michigan, when Will came back home to help his sister and her kids. After an ill-advised kiss, Leo has been obsessing about Will, despite his friend Daniel's continually telling him about Will's "dickish" ways, and despite Will's abrasive character. Leo chose NYC for college at least in part because of the romantic dreams he's been nursing about Will, but their first meeting is not at all what Leo had imagined.
The story, which is told entirely from Leo's POV, is as much a coming-of-age story as it is a romance, with the focus on Leo's adjustment to college in the big city as a gay man from a small town and the new circle of friends he develops. And because Leo is inexperienced and not as mature as the characters in Parrrish's earlier books, the story and romance don't have quite as much depth and angst as volumes 1 & 2. But there are enough scenes between Leo and Will here to make this reader feel invested in their story, and whether or not a determinedly single, hook-up guy can (or should have to) change his ways to be friends and lovers with another.
The major theme here is about what it means to be a "romantic," and how being a romantic can both interfere with your ability to be in a romantic relationship and be the reason why another person finds you attractive. It's not just Leo's experiences with Will, but all of Leo's friends, both old and new, who help him think through and negotiate this issue, which I found really appealing. I love cranky characters, so Will did not annoy me he has some Goodreads commenters. His backstory explains in part the way he is, but it is not there to excuse his behavior; in fact, we, like Leo, are meant to like him in large part BECAUSE of his caustic, cranky way of dealing with the world. Will and Leo together make for a charming, and believable, set of opposites attract.
The story, which is told entirely from Leo's POV, is as much a coming-of-age story as it is a romance, with the focus on Leo's adjustment to college in the big city as a gay man from a small town and the new circle of friends he develops. And because Leo is inexperienced and not as mature as the characters in Parrrish's earlier books, the story and romance don't have quite as much depth and angst as volumes 1 & 2. But there are enough scenes between Leo and Will here to make this reader feel invested in their story, and whether or not a determinedly single, hook-up guy can (or should have to) change his ways to be friends and lovers with another.
The major theme here is about what it means to be a "romantic," and how being a romantic can both interfere with your ability to be in a romantic relationship and be the reason why another person finds you attractive. It's not just Leo's experiences with Will, but all of Leo's friends, both old and new, who help him think through and negotiate this issue, which I found really appealing. I love cranky characters, so Will did not annoy me he has some Goodreads commenters. His backstory explains in part the way he is, but it is not there to excuse his behavior; in fact, we, like Leo, are meant to like him in large part BECAUSE of his caustic, cranky way of dealing with the world. Will and Leo together make for a charming, and believable, set of opposites attract.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
I wondered how many more things like that I’d dismissed or undervalued, too distracted by the fact that I wasn’t getting the results I’d set my sights on. How often important, meaningful, real things had slipped away from me, unacknowledged, as I measured only their distance from what I’d wanted.
I really enjoyed this, and I love the writing and the characters and the setting just as much as the other books. But while I really liked the romance, I didn't enjoy it as much as the couples in the other books?
Which I'm kind of surprised at, because this is unconventional in ways that I thought I'd really enjoy. Non-monogamy, and people who don't experience romance in the ways as every one else is used to. After being introduced to Will's character in previous books, I was excited to see his romance with Leo, particularly because he's not the typical romance hero. All of those books are in first person, but Will felt even more enigmatic and unknowable than Rex and Rafe. But all of this, mind you, is by design. It's a little infuriating, but I understood the intent behind writing him that way, and having us experience him through Leo that way. His bluntness was a breath of fresh air; he said what he wanted, wasn't shy about setting his boundaries or articulating what he thought. His prickliness and grumpiness were actually entertaining. And I really loved Leo. His infatuation was adorable, and I really liked seeing him navigate his way through college, and making true friends for once in his life. Probably an unpopular opinion, but I LIKED that he had relationships outside of Will. I think he needed that growth, and it was just good to see.
All that said, though I liked so many things about the book, I didn't fall in love with the relationship. I definitely liked it, and I liked them together, but it often felt wrong-footed, like they were on different pages the whole time. And again, that was by design, it was an element of the plot to be worked out, but when the ending came, I still didn't know exactly what footing they were both on? They understood each other, but did they both understand their relationship? IDK. Also, I appreciated the way the book took on mental illness, but I didn't love the way it was talked about? Nothing outright ableist, but I just don't like it when writing concentrates on how hard things are for the family of the person with the illness, rather than, you know, the person themselves.
3.5 stars. Very enjoyable, just not my favourite.