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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
5⭐️ Originally read this in 2021 and loved it. It’s what spawned my obsession with MM romance.
I just finished my reread (2023) and it’s as good as I remember. Just a lovely, sweet, heartwarming story about healing and moving on from grief.
A comfort read for sure.
I just finished my reread (2023) and it’s as good as I remember. Just a lovely, sweet, heartwarming story about healing and moving on from grief.
A comfort read for sure.
This is a beautiful love story, it is a story of two people who are broken and don't know if they can love.
Julian is grieving the loss of his boyfriend., Rhett was much more than just his boyfriend though. After years in the foster care system, Rhett was always Julian's family. Illness took him away too soon. Now Julian is lost and doesn't know how to live.
Deacon is grieving his brother's death. He's always felt like the outcast with his family and has issues with Julian, as Julian has always been more favored in his own family.
Through their shared experience, they grow closer, and learn to love. But the guilt, the family, oh and Deacon's not gay, all seem like hurdles for them to conquer. There are a lot of feelings in this story. There's something in there for everyone to identify with.
There's also a hotness level and Teddy Hamilton and Tim Paige can bring to this kind of story. You will not be disappointed by the narration at all.
Julian is grieving the loss of his boyfriend., Rhett was much more than just his boyfriend though. After years in the foster care system, Rhett was always Julian's family. Illness took him away too soon. Now Julian is lost and doesn't know how to live.
Deacon is grieving his brother's death. He's always felt like the outcast with his family and has issues with Julian, as Julian has always been more favored in his own family.
Through their shared experience, they grow closer, and learn to love. But the guilt, the family, oh and Deacon's not gay, all seem like hurdles for them to conquer. There are a lot of feelings in this story. There's something in there for everyone to identify with.
There's also a hotness level and Teddy Hamilton and Tim Paige can bring to this kind of story. You will not be disappointed by the narration at all.
Deacon and Julian
PLEASE be aware that this review is meant for my own purposes only in order to help me recall this book and is in no way a reflection of what I think anyone else will like or want out of a book. It is simply a memory aid and a rough voice-to-text which is completely unedited/reviewed for errors. Read at your own discretion.
Deacon's younger brother dies and the family is bereft, including his best friend and boyfriend, Julian (who lived next door with his foster parents since he was 7). Deacon has always been jealous of Julian and disliked him. But a year after his brother's death, they are forced to deal with each other and start developing attraction (Deacon is straight). Basically the whole book is their developing feelings and the guilt they feel. Also, Deacon's mother is pretty awful to him for unknown reasons. For a book with minimal plot and difficult subject matter, I still enjoyed it snd the characters were likable and complex.
PLEASE be aware that this review is meant for my own purposes only in order to help me recall this book and is in no way a reflection of what I think anyone else will like or want out of a book. It is simply a memory aid and a rough voice-to-text which is completely unedited/reviewed for errors. Read at your own discretion.
Deacon's younger brother dies and the family is bereft, including his best friend and boyfriend, Julian (who lived next door with his foster parents since he was 7). Deacon has always been jealous of Julian and disliked him. But a year after his brother's death, they are forced to deal with each other and start developing attraction (Deacon is straight). Basically the whole book is their developing feelings and the guilt they feel. Also, Deacon's mother is pretty awful to him for unknown reasons. For a book with minimal plot and difficult subject matter, I still enjoyed it snd the characters were likable and complex.
This one wasn't really for me.
I had an Audible subscription for a month so I wanted to make use of it, but I couldn't really find any good books. I choose this one because of the good reviews.
For me, the spice almost overshadowed the plot. Definitely towards the middle/ending.
How did they fall in love so fast? After a year of grieving your brother and... actually already snuggling up to your dead brother's boyfriend a couple of days after the funeral... While stating you never really talked and actually disliked each other while the brother was alive...
Why ask each other to marry but NOT talk about this before if that's what you both want. Same goes for kids. Just blurting out "I want kids"..
I had an Audible subscription for a month so I wanted to make use of it, but I couldn't really find any good books. I choose this one because of the good reviews.
For me, the spice almost overshadowed the plot. Definitely towards the middle/ending.
How did they fall in love so fast? After a year of grieving your brother and... actually already snuggling up to your dead brother's boyfriend a couple of days after the funeral... While stating you never really talked and actually disliked each other while the brother was alive...
Why ask each other to marry but NOT talk about this before if that's what you both want. Same goes for kids. Just blurting out "I want kids"..
Without You is my first read by Marley Valentine. She brought all the heavy with this story and I was not disappointed!
Deacon has lived in his younger brothers shadow his entire life. Once on his own, he's still not the favorite and he's come to the realization that he never will be. Lost and alone, he finds himself drawn to his brothers best friend Julian.
Julian has no one left in this life. Natural enemies with Deacon, he's the last person he'd thought to befriend. They are drawn together with one common bond and it was a beautiful story to them getting their HEA.
I really enjoyed this one. Without You is full of tragedy, ALL THE ANGST, and lots of love. I may have wanted to punch Deacon's mom a few times but that's beside the point. This one had a wonderful story with supreme character development.
Without You: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Marley Valentine
“I love you more than my past,” he says. “I love you more than the obstacles the present has thrown in our way. Because you’re my future. And I’m going to love you forever because you’re my always.”
When Deacon loses his brother, the last man he wants to see is his brother's boyfriend but somehow, they end up being a comfort to one another in a way no one else can.
Tropes:
– Brother's ex/best friend
– Love after loss
– Forced proximity
Oh my god, this was... incredible. Truly so raw and real and hot and emotional and the most beautiful story of finding love through/after loss and bonding through grief and being there for one another and yes I could go on and on and on even though I know this is a run-on.
I loved Deacon and Julian so very much. They were the sweetest, cutest, most adorable couple who relied on each other to get through the most tragic loss, but somehow found solace in one another. I usually am so apprehensive with this trope, but when I tell you I absolutely devoured this one like it was my job, I am not kidding. The last chapter... UGH. Spare me from all these emotions.
Side note, the audio for this was soooo good. I enjoyed it very much!
My first [a:Marley Valentine|16022673|Marley Valentine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1486945630p2/16022673.jpg], but in no way is it my last. I'm so ready to be hurt over and over and over again by her words. I will do so very happily.
Marley Valentine
“I love you more than my past,” he says. “I love you more than the obstacles the present has thrown in our way. Because you’re my future. And I’m going to love you forever because you’re my always.”
When Deacon loses his brother, the last man he wants to see is his brother's boyfriend but somehow, they end up being a comfort to one another in a way no one else can.
Tropes:
– Brother's ex/best friend
– Love after loss
– Forced proximity
Oh my god, this was... incredible. Truly so raw and real and hot and emotional and the most beautiful story of finding love through/after loss and bonding through grief and being there for one another and yes I could go on and on and on even though I know this is a run-on.
I loved Deacon and Julian so very much. They were the sweetest, cutest, most adorable couple who relied on each other to get through the most tragic loss, but somehow found solace in one another. I usually am so apprehensive with this trope, but when I tell you I absolutely devoured this one like it was my job, I am not kidding. The last chapter... UGH. Spare me from all these emotions.
Side note, the audio for this was soooo good. I enjoyed it very much!
My first [a:Marley Valentine|16022673|Marley Valentine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1486945630p2/16022673.jpg], but in no way is it my last. I'm so ready to be hurt over and over and over again by her words. I will do so very happily.