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ankysbookbubble's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful
Oh wow. This book was absolutely beautiful. I adored Joe and Madden. All those sweet hugs and comforting touches gave me life.
Oh wow. This book was absolutely beautiful. I adored Joe and Madden. All those sweet hugs and comforting touches gave me life.
mrsherrera's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Rape
ashish_ras's review against another edition
5.0
Poignant
The travails of Joe will leave you tender. A painful past beautifully woven by words. The ending will surprise you.
The travails of Joe will leave you tender. A painful past beautifully woven by words. The ending will surprise you.
sharingthebooklove's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Newbie author! Brilliant read!
This story grabbed me from Page 1 and took me on a journey of love, filled with sweet moments, giggles, pain and tears.
Joe and Madden and their story is well written , great paced, with great story and well built characters.
Absolutely 5 stars and i am looking forward to reading any further books the author releases
This story grabbed me from Page 1 and took me on a journey of love, filled with sweet moments, giggles, pain and tears.
Joe and Madden and their story is well written , great paced, with great story and well built characters.
Absolutely 5 stars and i am looking forward to reading any further books the author releases
cutdeeptalkshit's review against another edition
4.0
At it's core Stay was a love story. But it was so much more than that too. It was about accepting people as they are and learning to accept yourself—the good, the bad, the in-between and complicated parts that are apart of us all—too.
Joe was a well written, thought out character with a past. He was on the spectrum, homeless and running from people who should have been his support system. Things take a turn when good fortune smiles on him. When he meets Madden things don't just magically become easier. Joe isn't "fixed" or "cured" by love and I adored that. He saw the world differently and struggled with things a lot of people never do. Up until the end he had to work hard at understanding his own wants and desires, other people and relationships in general.
Madden for his part was kind and understanding. He took the time to get to know Joe. He didn't set out with plans to "save" or make Joe "normal." Instead he accepted him for all he was and loved him deeply. It probably helped that he had a nephew on the spectrum.
They had ups and downs while Joe struggled to come to grasps and accept that he was safe and loved. I laughed with Joe and Madden. I cried with them as well. Over all. Stay was an emotional rollercoaster that was not always easy to read.
The Happy Ever After was well deserved. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of these two in the future. Perhaps settled and Joe happily experiencing life because there wasn't a lot of that present in Stay. It focused mostly on Joe's struggle which makes since plot wise but was slightly unsatisfying.
I do just want to cliff note that I have a nephew on the spectrum and he struggles in many ways Joe does. But would I ever let him near this book? Probably not. Mostly because Joe's life did get better when he met Madden. No, Madden didn't try to "save" Joe but it can easily be interpreted that way. Up until Madden arrived Joe was alone and homeless and scared. He wasn't a productive member of society. He avoided people and hard situations. Some of that because of his past but also because of being on the spectrum. I don't ever want my nephew to think in order to be happy and accepted and reach his goals he needs someone to love him which is how Stay came off in some parts. I understand that was probably not the authors intentions but it is how it appears when you have a character on the spectrum only make friends, find happiness and reach their goals after someone falls in love.
Joe was a well written, thought out character with a past. He was on the spectrum, homeless and running from people who should have been his support system. Things take a turn when good fortune smiles on him. When he meets Madden things don't just magically become easier. Joe isn't "fixed" or "cured" by love and I adored that. He saw the world differently and struggled with things a lot of people never do. Up until the end he had to work hard at understanding his own wants and desires, other people and relationships in general.
Madden for his part was kind and understanding. He took the time to get to know Joe. He didn't set out with plans to "save" or make Joe "normal." Instead he accepted him for all he was and loved him deeply. It probably helped that he had a nephew on the spectrum.
They had ups and downs while Joe struggled to come to grasps and accept that he was safe and loved. I laughed with Joe and Madden. I cried with them as well. Over all. Stay was an emotional rollercoaster that was not always easy to read.
The Happy Ever After was well deserved. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of these two in the future. Perhaps settled and Joe happily experiencing life because there wasn't a lot of that present in Stay. It focused mostly on Joe's struggle which makes since plot wise but was slightly unsatisfying.
I do just want to cliff note that I have a nephew on the spectrum and he struggles in many ways Joe does. But would I ever let him near this book? Probably not. Mostly because Joe's life did get better when he met Madden. No, Madden didn't try to "save" Joe but it can easily be interpreted that way. Up until Madden arrived Joe was alone and homeless and scared. He wasn't a productive member of society. He avoided people and hard situations. Some of that because of his past but also because of being on the spectrum. I don't ever want my nephew to think in order to be happy and accepted and reach his goals he needs someone to love him which is how Stay came off in some parts. I understand that was probably not the authors intentions but it is how it appears when you have a character on the spectrum only make friends, find happiness and reach their goals after someone falls in love.
apressler's review against another edition
4.0
I'd rate this 3.5, but rounded up. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Joe and Madden were nice together, and though I personally didn't really feel a spark between them (I thought they'd be better as friends) but their romance was well-paced. Loved Joe becoming interested in the fish and his growth as a character across the storyline.
My only real criticism of this book is that there's a lot of explanations of conversations instead of real dialogue. Switching this would have allowed the reader to connect with the characters more. Other than that, it's well-written, edited and paced.
My only real criticism of this book is that there's a lot of explanations of conversations instead of real dialogue. Switching this would have allowed the reader to connect with the characters more. Other than that, it's well-written, edited and paced.
badboysandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm struggling with rating this one a bit because I really enjoyed most of the last half of the book, but the first half wasn't working for me that well. I almost DNF around 50% because I wasn't FEELING the connection between the two MCs and I was like why am I still reading this. But I know a lot of others really loved this book so I stuck with it.
shinysue's review against another edition
I really don't understand why David is into Ash. I can't see his perspective which makes the story feel fake, and it's making me uncomfortable.
kiki124's review against another edition
2.0
This was terrible.
Abused, homeless, ASD.
Fish and fucks fix it.
Abused, homeless, ASD.
Fish and fucks fix it.
skye16's review against another edition
1.0
The plot feels a lot like a Nicholas Sparks novel, just gay and less well executed. I couldn’t wait for it to finally be over. The pacing is so sloppy. I know every person on the spectrum is different, but Madden saviorism and childlike petnames for Joe in a romantic setting just made me cringe too many times.