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mariahreadit's review against another edition
2.0
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
What a beautiful find it was for me to come across an m/m romance book with two Asian leads - with a beautiful cover with models to boot!
This won me over in the premise alone - an age difference AND brother's best friend combo. Delicious!
Daniel "Danny" Ip walks into WestTec, a start up that's starting to crack hoping to swoop in and prove to his boss Joana, at Jade Harbour Capital, that he still has what it takes to run the equity investment game.
What Danny doesn't expect to find in Calgary is a very grown up Tobin Lok. Tobin. Tobin who wants to be called by his full name, and who bristles at any mention of being "baby Toby". Because that's who he use to be. Danny's best friend Wei's baby brother.. The baby brother Danny spent a long night seven years ago doing unspeakable things to after Wei's bachelor party when Tobin was 19.
Filled with starts and stops and conflicting emotions, this was a great beginning to what I can tell is going to be a fun series.
I confess I struggled a bit with the characterization of both Danny and Tobin. I felt like there was a lot of conflicting information about them, and not a lot of opportunities for the reader to pick up on their characteristics for ourselves.
There were also quite a few subplots in this that felt really out of place and tangential to the story.
From Tobin's life in Vancouver, his roommate and her girlfriend- including some unfortunate and unsavory wording and decriptors that I wish were caught in editing. At times it seemed like Tobin and Monica were good friends, and at others it seemed like they didn't really care about each other and that confused me.
To a completely unexpected trafficking subplot that came out of left field and never really panned out.
At some point Tobin's dad asks if his English is troubling him, though there isn't a single other mention of it throughout the story and up to that point it felt safe to assume that the Lok children had been raised in Canada from a very young age, if not born there.
I wish there were stronger secondary relationships in the book. Tobin talks about not wanting to leave his life behind, but he honestly doesn't have much of one? I understood Danny only having Wei in his life since he is very much married to his job, but I felt like I didn't have the full picture of what Tobin's life was like.
The biggest wasted opportunity in my opinion was understanding Tobin and Danny's relationship better when they were younger. Maybe a couple of well placed flashbacks or reminiscing could've shed some light on that area.
Tobin also mention's avoiding Toronto and Danny after their initial hook up, but we never got to see the emotional toll that took on both of them, and the idea of "it was always you" didn't sound all that convincing without the goods to back it up.
The epilogue moved me greatly, though I wished we could have explored how Tobin and Danny's relationship altered the Lok family dynamic, and how they were able to grow and evolve within that space for a greater sense of fulfillment.
I hope we get to check back in with these two in Ray's book, and I'm very excited to read his story..
What a beautiful find it was for me to come across an m/m romance book with two Asian leads - with a beautiful cover with models to boot!
This won me over in the premise alone - an age difference AND brother's best friend combo. Delicious!
Daniel "Danny" Ip walks into WestTec, a start up that's starting to crack hoping to swoop in and prove to his boss Joana, at Jade Harbour Capital, that he still has what it takes to run the equity investment game.
What Danny doesn't expect to find in Calgary is a very grown up Tobin Lok. Tobin. Tobin who wants to be called by his full name, and who bristles at any mention of being "baby Toby". Because that's who he use to be. Danny's best friend Wei's baby brother.. The baby brother Danny spent a long night seven years ago doing unspeakable things to after Wei's bachelor party when Tobin was 19.
Filled with starts and stops and conflicting emotions, this was a great beginning to what I can tell is going to be a fun series.
I confess I struggled a bit with the characterization of both Danny and Tobin. I felt like there was a lot of conflicting information about them, and not a lot of opportunities for the reader to pick up on their characteristics for ourselves.
There were also quite a few subplots in this that felt really out of place and tangential to the story.
From Tobin's life in Vancouver, his roommate and her girlfriend- including some unfortunate and unsavory wording and decriptors that I wish were caught in editing. At times it seemed like Tobin and Monica were good friends, and at others it seemed like they didn't really care about each other and that confused me.
To a completely unexpected trafficking subplot that came out of left field and never really panned out.
At some point Tobin's dad asks if his English is troubling him, though there isn't a single other mention of it throughout the story and up to that point it felt safe to assume that the Lok children had been raised in Canada from a very young age, if not born there.
I wish there were stronger secondary relationships in the book. Tobin talks about not wanting to leave his life behind, but he honestly doesn't have much of one? I understood Danny only having Wei in his life since he is very much married to his job, but I felt like I didn't have the full picture of what Tobin's life was like.
The biggest wasted opportunity in my opinion was understanding Tobin and Danny's relationship better when they were younger. Maybe a couple of well placed flashbacks or reminiscing could've shed some light on that area.
Tobin also mention's avoiding Toronto and Danny after their initial hook up, but we never got to see the emotional toll that took on both of them, and the idea of "it was always you" didn't sound all that convincing without the goods to back it up.
The epilogue moved me greatly, though I wished we could have explored how Tobin and Danny's relationship altered the Lok family dynamic, and how they were able to grow and evolve within that space for a greater sense of fulfillment.
I hope we get to check back in with these two in Ray's book, and I'm very excited to read his story..
criticalgayze's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Y'all, I am torn on this one.
I appreciate that, from the jump, this novel makes clear that it is more focused on bringing two characters together through emotional, rather than sexual resolution, and I appreciate the chemistry the characters have. I also appreciate that Lin has some clear experience in the world of which she writes. I think the steam is good, and I think the angst is believable.
However, I think in trying to paint the villainy and toxicity of capitalism and high finance that Lin goes a little overboard in a way that leaves me a little unsettled as a reader. I am specifically speaking on the introduction of a minor character who may be involved in sex trafficking, which the characters all decide to ignore for their own personal business interests for the vast majority of the novel. Even when it is finally "resolved," none of the characters have to deal with sitting on this information for months. In this way, the cartoonish skeeze that we associate with the über wealthy turns into something that I think sits wrong in my stomach trying to finish what Lin clearly ultimately means to be a redemptive romance.
I hope that future installments tone down the excess here, or I'm not sure I can continue with Lin as an author.
I appreciate that, from the jump, this novel makes clear that it is more focused on bringing two characters together through emotional, rather than sexual resolution, and I appreciate the chemistry the characters have. I also appreciate that Lin has some clear experience in the world of which she writes. I think the steam is good, and I think the angst is believable.
However, I think in trying to paint the villainy and toxicity of capitalism and high finance that Lin goes a little overboard in a way that leaves me a little unsettled as a reader. I am specifically speaking on the introduction of a minor character who may be involved in sex trafficking, which the characters all decide to ignore for their own personal business interests for the vast majority of the novel. Even when it is finally "resolved," none of the characters have to deal with sitting on this information for months. In this way, the cartoonish skeeze that we associate with the über wealthy turns into something that I think sits wrong in my stomach trying to finish what Lin clearly ultimately means to be a redemptive romance.
I hope that future installments tone down the excess here, or I'm not sure I can continue with Lin as an author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Trafficking
onemamareads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
4.0
Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/hard-sell
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Car accident
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Trafficking
niqueturnspages's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
doll2021's review
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
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Lesbophobia
thenaptimewriter's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary finished copy and the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.
3.5 ⭐️
Sibling’s best friend is one of those tropes that really gets to me in a good way so Hudson Lin’s Hard Sell’s synopsis had me eager to dive in.
Danny Ip is a private equity investor who visits a tech start up so he can make his offer. When he arrives he realizes that Tobin Lok, one of his closest childhood friends & also the brother of his best friend, & *also* the man he hooked up w/ 7 years ago & hasn’t talked to since, is working w/ the company as a consultant instead of a potential buyer.
Danny knows that nothing can happen between himself & Tobin. Nothing. Can. Happen. *pause for smooching.
Simply put, there are some things that work & don’t work for me about this read.
The chemistry between Danny & Tobin is intense & the ways they’re also tender & nurturing are lovely. There’s a real sense for me that they’re special to each other & that their bond is both enhanced by their long history together but that they both respect each other now (thanks to Alexandria Bellefleur’s Hang the Moon for helping me see that part of this trope in a new way).
But some aspects of the way the sibling’s best friend trope are done here don’t totally work for me. It’s a little strange how Danny refers to Tobin in his head at the beginning of the book. Maybe “kid” or trying to think of Tobin as a sibling are distancing mechanisms but also Danny hooked up with him 7 years ago so I think that ship has sailed...
In addition—& this is something I’ve benefited from in reading other people’s commentary on the trope—Tobin’s brother’s extreme agitation at their relationship doesn’t feel fully nuanced to me. I needed more from that storyline if that’s the direction this trope is going in.
& in general, some of the humor just doesn’t work for me.
The backstories are engaging, I rooted for both leads, & I definitely wanted their HEA. Moreover, I’m really looking forward to checking out another read from Lin; I just have some quibbles with this one.
Release date: 5/25.
CW:
Tobin is outed by the tech start-up owner. Tobin hooks up w/ someone else when they’re on a break—I know that can be a dealbreaker for some.
3.5 ⭐️
Sibling’s best friend is one of those tropes that really gets to me in a good way so Hudson Lin’s Hard Sell’s synopsis had me eager to dive in.
Danny Ip is a private equity investor who visits a tech start up so he can make his offer. When he arrives he realizes that Tobin Lok, one of his closest childhood friends & also the brother of his best friend, & *also* the man he hooked up w/ 7 years ago & hasn’t talked to since, is working w/ the company as a consultant instead of a potential buyer.
Danny knows that nothing can happen between himself & Tobin. Nothing. Can. Happen. *pause for smooching.
Simply put, there are some things that work & don’t work for me about this read.
The chemistry between Danny & Tobin is intense & the ways they’re also tender & nurturing are lovely. There’s a real sense for me that they’re special to each other & that their bond is both enhanced by their long history together but that they both respect each other now (thanks to Alexandria Bellefleur’s Hang the Moon for helping me see that part of this trope in a new way).
But some aspects of the way the sibling’s best friend trope are done here don’t totally work for me. It’s a little strange how Danny refers to Tobin in his head at the beginning of the book. Maybe “kid” or trying to think of Tobin as a sibling are distancing mechanisms but also Danny hooked up with him 7 years ago so I think that ship has sailed...
In addition—& this is something I’ve benefited from in reading other people’s commentary on the trope—Tobin’s brother’s extreme agitation at their relationship doesn’t feel fully nuanced to me. I needed more from that storyline if that’s the direction this trope is going in.
& in general, some of the humor just doesn’t work for me.
The backstories are engaging, I rooted for both leads, & I definitely wanted their HEA. Moreover, I’m really looking forward to checking out another read from Lin; I just have some quibbles with this one.
Release date: 5/25.
CW:
Tobin is outed by the tech start-up owner. Tobin hooks up w/ someone else when they’re on a break—I know that can be a dealbreaker for some.
pandashiv's review against another edition
1.0
I ended up DNF'ing this book because I was super turned off by the way Tobin talks about the lesbian side characters in the book and the treatment of the human trafficking subplot.
While I was super excited for a queer Asian book with amazing models on the cover, this one really missed the mark with me.
*I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
While I was super excited for a queer Asian book with amazing models on the cover, this one really missed the mark with me.
*I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
ania_star's review against another edition
3.0
Danny is a determined, ambitious man with a plan. He is very good at his job, but lately, he's been losing his touch. He is burned out, tired, and beyond ready for an opportunity for a change. He just didn't expect it to come in a form of his best friend younger brother. :)
At the latest company he is trying to buy, he rans into Tobin. 7 years ago they had a one-night stand, and since then they basically didn't have any contact. While Danny is trying to get them to sell, Tobin is there to help them get back on their feet like a consultant.
The chemistry between them is sizzling from the start, but there is still a lot standing between them.
I love the premise of the story, best friends brother/sister & second chances are some of my favorite tropes, but for some reason, I had a hard time getting into the story. There were some kind of weird parts and the story is way different than I expected...
received from Netgalley
At the latest company he is trying to buy, he rans into Tobin. 7 years ago they had a one-night stand, and since then they basically didn't have any contact. While Danny is trying to get them to sell, Tobin is there to help them get back on their feet like a consultant.
The chemistry between them is sizzling from the start, but there is still a lot standing between them.
I love the premise of the story, best friends brother/sister & second chances are some of my favorite tropes, but for some reason, I had a hard time getting into the story. There were some kind of weird parts and the story is way different than I expected...
received from Netgalley