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the_novel_approach's review against another edition
4.0
At last! Overexposed is here! I’ve been waiting for this book ever since falling in love with Levi in Out of Frame, and I loved it even more than I thought I would. The setting of the Appalachian Trail was so unique and cool; I love that Megan Erickson chose it as the backdrop for this book. I haven’t personally been there, but Erickson’s spot-on descriptions and all of the obvious research that went into the story put me right there on the trail and made it come alive. Not to mention making me want to go check it out someday!
Ok, first, let’s talk Levi—who I truly do adore. Levi’s persona on Trip League, the reality show he was on when we met him in the last book, was basically a caricature. Sure he’s high maintenance—he did sneak some hair product into his pack so he could stay groomed while on his hike, after all—but the real Levi is so much more. He’s intelligent and warm and insightful, not just the effeminate gay stereotype he was made out to be on the show. And, of course I love the fact that he’s hiking the trail in his sister’s memory.
Every single mention of Layla, and moment Levi spends remembering her, honoring her, talking to her, talking about her, touched me so, so much. His relationship with her was incredibly special, and Erickson does such an amazing job with every aspect of this part of the storyline. This book definitely made me cry. Like five times. Or so. (I am a massive crybaby, but still!) But, it also made me laugh quite a lot, and swoon too many times to count.
The swooning would be on account of Thad. And lines like this…
“I’m not looking at the moon right now, Le,” he said. “I’m looking at you. Those gorgeous eyes. Those lips. That body. You’re the moon I get to see during the day.”
That little gem also leveled Levi of course…
“The breath left my chest in a whoosh at his words. I couldn’t speak, only stare, non-breathing, at the man who’d single-handedly said the most romantic thing to me I’d ever heard in my life.”
So, yeah, Levi never stood a chance.
Thad is brooding and quiet—truly saying almost nothing for hours at a time—but Levi discovers that Thad likes listening to him talk, so he begins chatting him up and soon gets under his skin. As the blurb says, their connection is strong, and I think it takes both of them a bit by surprise. I know it does Thad. And, though it happens fairly quickly, it’s actually very organic and perfectly paced. I love the way things develop between them. These guys had chemistry for dayyyyyys, and the author wrote them some beautiful and unbelievably sexy love scenes. Everything about them together was fantastic.
The epilogue was sweet. I do love that she stuck to series form and showed us all the guys at the end. I definitely see what she was trying to do with tying everything together, as Erickson has said that this would be the last book in the series—though I could absolutely see a story for Matty, and potentially others, so I hope that’s not true!—but I would have actually liked to see more Levi and Thad instead, maybe. I felt like their ending, after the conflict was resolved, rushed by too quickly.
That teeny tiny complaint aside (and, really, that’s totally just me being greedy and wanting more Thad and Levi), and a few small errors and inconsistencies that I hope were caught in final edits, I absolutely loved this book. LOVED. It had so much heart and emotion, and the perfect amount of heat—fantastic stuff!
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach Reviews
Ok, first, let’s talk Levi—who I truly do adore. Levi’s persona on Trip League, the reality show he was on when we met him in the last book, was basically a caricature. Sure he’s high maintenance—he did sneak some hair product into his pack so he could stay groomed while on his hike, after all—but the real Levi is so much more. He’s intelligent and warm and insightful, not just the effeminate gay stereotype he was made out to be on the show. And, of course I love the fact that he’s hiking the trail in his sister’s memory.
Every single mention of Layla, and moment Levi spends remembering her, honoring her, talking to her, talking about her, touched me so, so much. His relationship with her was incredibly special, and Erickson does such an amazing job with every aspect of this part of the storyline. This book definitely made me cry. Like five times. Or so. (I am a massive crybaby, but still!) But, it also made me laugh quite a lot, and swoon too many times to count.
The swooning would be on account of Thad. And lines like this…
“I’m not looking at the moon right now, Le,” he said. “I’m looking at you. Those gorgeous eyes. Those lips. That body. You’re the moon I get to see during the day.”
That little gem also leveled Levi of course…
“The breath left my chest in a whoosh at his words. I couldn’t speak, only stare, non-breathing, at the man who’d single-handedly said the most romantic thing to me I’d ever heard in my life.”
So, yeah, Levi never stood a chance.
Thad is brooding and quiet—truly saying almost nothing for hours at a time—but Levi discovers that Thad likes listening to him talk, so he begins chatting him up and soon gets under his skin. As the blurb says, their connection is strong, and I think it takes both of them a bit by surprise. I know it does Thad. And, though it happens fairly quickly, it’s actually very organic and perfectly paced. I love the way things develop between them. These guys had chemistry for dayyyyyys, and the author wrote them some beautiful and unbelievably sexy love scenes. Everything about them together was fantastic.
The epilogue was sweet. I do love that she stuck to series form and showed us all the guys at the end. I definitely see what she was trying to do with tying everything together, as Erickson has said that this would be the last book in the series—though I could absolutely see a story for Matty, and potentially others, so I hope that’s not true!—but I would have actually liked to see more Levi and Thad instead, maybe. I felt like their ending, after the conflict was resolved, rushed by too quickly.
That teeny tiny complaint aside (and, really, that’s totally just me being greedy and wanting more Thad and Levi), and a few small errors and inconsistencies that I hope were caught in final edits, I absolutely loved this book. LOVED. It had so much heart and emotion, and the perfect amount of heat—fantastic stuff!
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach Reviews
teenykins's review against another edition
3.0
While the book from me received 5 stars the audio I wasn't thrilled about. For me liking the voice is a major part of an audiobook so Marc Bachmann didn't deliver on that and the book lost a lot that I loved when reading it. Really it's whole magic just didn't come through.
prgchrqltma's review against another edition
4.0
Characters: grieving former reality show star, broody stranger
World Building: Appalachian trail hike
Plot: hiking the trail, self discovery, allowing emotion in
Sex: medium
Read another: Yes
I've enjoyed this whole series. There was some obvious sequel bait in this one, but there was also an epilogue visiting all the other main characters in the series.
World Building: Appalachian trail hike
Plot: hiking the trail, self discovery, allowing emotion in
Sex: medium
Read another: Yes
I've enjoyed this whole series. There was some obvious sequel bait in this one, but there was also an epilogue visiting all the other main characters in the series.
haletostilinski1's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this one! It was my favorite of the whole series. Levi and Thad (although that name is just funny haha) had a great connection from the beginning, and amazing chemistry.
I loved reading how they formed a connection, and there were some twists and turns and surprises in this that I was not expecting, and I enjoyed that.
These two were hot together too, and those were very fun scenes to read ;)
I didn't much care for Thad's ex-boyfriend Matty, and while he became kind-of-a-friend, I don't think I would have wanted him around. I mean, he's human and he made a mistake but I feel like cheating is such a...damn most of the time I just have zero sympathy.
But maybe we'll get a book with Matty and we'll get more insight on him and why he apparently sabotage's his relationships. Idk, I feel like we're gonna get a book about him...
Anyway, back to our main story - everything just worked so well. The pace was good - like I was worried we'd have to wait forever with Levi on the trail alone before he met Thad, or we'd meet him too early, but there was a nice balance with the timing on how we met him. Their stories blended well together to create an interesting, engaging story without ever being OTT.
Levi was sweet and kind and Thad, while quiet and grouchy sometimes, was a soft, kind person with a good heart.
I loved these two together, they just fit from the first moment they were introduced to each other, and I loved this book. Definitely the best in the series for me.
Definitely recommend! :D
I loved reading how they formed a connection, and there were some twists and turns and surprises in this that I was not expecting, and I enjoyed that.
These two were hot together too, and those were very fun scenes to read ;)
I didn't much care for Thad's ex-boyfriend Matty, and while he became kind-of-a-friend, I don't think I would have wanted him around. I mean, he's human and he made a mistake but I feel like cheating is such a...damn most of the time I just have zero sympathy.
But maybe we'll get a book with Matty and we'll get more insight on him and why he apparently sabotage's his relationships. Idk, I feel like we're gonna get a book about him...
Anyway, back to our main story - everything just worked so well. The pace was good - like I was worried we'd have to wait forever with Levi on the trail alone before he met Thad, or we'd meet him too early, but there was a nice balance with the timing on how we met him. Their stories blended well together to create an interesting, engaging story without ever being OTT.
Levi was sweet and kind and Thad, while quiet and grouchy sometimes, was a soft, kind person with a good heart.
I loved these two together, they just fit from the first moment they were introduced to each other, and I loved this book. Definitely the best in the series for me.
Definitely recommend! :D
drnoel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
5.0
this is officially one of my favorite romances. and i miss backpacking and hiking sm
dwarrowdams's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of this via Netgalley.
I originally put this book on my TBR because I'd heard that it had a demisexual character and as a demisexual person, that made me super-excited because I never see demi representation in fiction. I hadn't read the rest of the series prior to reading this book, although I plan on doing so now because this book was phenomenal. Levi is such a fun narrator—he has such an energetic tone and quick wit, which made the book a really enjoyable read and also contrasted nicely with Thad's (his LI's) stonefaced demeanor. Despite their wildly different personalities, they were a great couple and seeing them together warmed my heart. The plot overall is great; I was especially fond of the setting, since I've never read anything quite like it. I honestly had such a hard time putting this down and wasn't able to focus on anything else when I did, so I'd recommend blocking out some time to read this so that it doesn't take over your entire life.
Also, the demisexual representation was every bit as accurate and respectful and lovely as I hoped. After over twenty years of feeling broken because of my orientation, it's amazing to finally get some on-page representation (as in, the word "demisexual" is actually used and clearly defined in the book, which made me squeak with joy). It made my heart so full and I honestly hope that seeing a demisexual character will provide others with the affirmation that it gave me.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for demisexual representation, a fascinating setting that has a great relationship with the story, and some really hot m/m sex.
Meanwhile, I'll be reading everything that Megan Erickson's written.
I originally put this book on my TBR because I'd heard that it had a demisexual character and as a demisexual person, that made me super-excited because I never see demi representation in fiction. I hadn't read the rest of the series prior to reading this book, although I plan on doing so now because this book was phenomenal. Levi is such a fun narrator—he has such an energetic tone and quick wit, which made the book a really enjoyable read and also contrasted nicely with Thad's (his LI's) stonefaced demeanor. Despite their wildly different personalities, they were a great couple and seeing them together warmed my heart. The plot overall is great; I was especially fond of the setting, since I've never read anything quite like it. I honestly had such a hard time putting this down and wasn't able to focus on anything else when I did, so I'd recommend blocking out some time to read this so that it doesn't take over your entire life.
Also, the demisexual representation was every bit as accurate and respectful and lovely as I hoped. After over twenty years of feeling broken because of my orientation, it's amazing to finally get some on-page representation (as in, the word "demisexual" is actually used and clearly defined in the book, which made me squeak with joy). It made my heart so full and I honestly hope that seeing a demisexual character will provide others with the affirmation that it gave me.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for demisexual representation, a fascinating setting that has a great relationship with the story, and some really hot m/m sex.
Meanwhile, I'll be reading everything that Megan Erickson's written.
kirjakauris's review against another edition
4.0
a three and a half star read. smutty and heartwarming and sweet. pretty well written too.
adamsbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I had high hopes for this story after the last two books (Focus On Me & Out Of Frame) we 5 stars, but this one was not as good.
What I liked - Levi and Thad were good characters and their story was an interesting one. This book felt more like the first one (Trust The Focus) that the other two did which was refreshing. Alsothis story wrapped up the gay beach house well and she mentioned a fifth bedroom, so maybe a new book soon? Please?
What I didn't like - This felt weird going back to the same style as the first/second book after the third book was written differently and very well at that. I wish she kept the alternating POV.
Overall this was a wonderful series and please god let there be another one soon, I didn't want it to end!
What I liked - Levi and Thad were good characters and their story was an interesting one. This book felt more like the first one (Trust The Focus) that the other two did which was refreshing. Also
What I didn't like - This felt weird going back to the same style as the first/second book after the third book was written differently and very well at that. I wish she kept the alternating POV.
Overall this was a wonderful series and please god let there be another one soon, I didn't want it to end!
renitor's review against another edition
4.0
forgot i finished this. it was good. okayish. im a military brat so i kinda understand. this whole series is pretty average. underwhelming based on my ratings. but still good.